Nigeria-Education - The Education Rights Campaign (ERC), has condemned the government of Otunba Gbenga Daniel of Ogun State and the Governing Council, Olabisi Onabanjo University ( OOU ) for their insensitivity to the plights of students in the on-going strike action of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU). Speaking through the National Coordinator, Mr Hassan Taiwo Soweto in a press conference held recently at the International Press Centre (IPC), Ikeja, noted that students of the institution have not been receiving lectures for the past four months and the dream of final year students participating in the National Youth Service is postponed indefinitely.

Soweto maintained that there is no cogent reason for OOU refusal to implement the recommendations of the 2009 FGN/ASUU agreement when other states like Benue State University, University of Ado Ekiti, Adekunle Ajasin University, Bukar Abbah Ibrahim University, Yobe, Adamawa State University, Gombe State University to mention a few have since implemented the agreement.

According to him, " Of the twenty nine state universities, seventeen have implemented the agreement while twelve including OOU are on strike as many more are about to commence implementation. Why is the case of OOU who earns more from both Federal allocation and Internally Generated Revenue different"?

Following the mass sack of over 170 lecturers at OOU, he said that several courses stand the risk of failing accreditation. This is because the present admission quota was based on the number of previous staff strength of about 600.

With the number now less than 400, Soweto reiterated that it is a wonder how OOU can be expected to meet the staff/student ratio in order to pass NUC accreditation. Using a conservative student population of 18, 000, he noted that the academic staff need of OOU, by NUC average academic staft/student ratio of I :20, should be 1250. However with the sacking of about 1 70, OOU currently has less than 400 academics; given that about 20% also have withdrawn their services because of the antilabour posture of the University's Governing Council. The ERC therefore insists that there is no way the University can effectively run without recalling the wrongfully disengaged academic staff.

He said: "For example, At the Faculty of Medicine, there are many specialties but the Faculty does not have full time Academic Staff including Dermatology, gastro-enterology and Psychiatry. At the Department of Obstetrics & Gynaecology. the disengagement of four (4) lecturers drastically affected the operation of the department such that it will be far from meeting the the NUC stipulated staff/student ratio and impact meaningful knowledge on the students.

Soweto argued that while OOU approximate academic staffing to regular students is 400: 18.000. in UI it is 1200:19,000, UNILAG is 1300:20,000; UNAAB is 400:10,000. This translates to 1:16 for UI, l:I5 for UNILAG, I :25 for UNAAB and I: 40 for OOU stressing that it will lead to mass dis-acrreditation of programmes and courses in OOU when next the accreditation team of the National Universities Com;nission (NUC) come calling.

ERC, therefore urged the Ogun State government to without delay implement the following:

*The OOU Governing Council and Ogun State government must immediately implement the 2009 FGN/ASUU Agreement so that students can resume. Equally, all arrears of salaries owed workers including the with-held August and September 2009 salary must be paid within a clearly defined and scheduled time frame.

* Immediate recall of all sacked staff without loss of pay.

* Immediate halt to rationalization and mergers of academic programs. Instead, there should be expansion of programs and drastic improvement of the teaching facilities.

*To make rationalization and mergers of programs absolutely needless, we demand adequate funding of education up to 26% of budget in Ogun state and at least 65% increase in the subventions to Olabisi Onabanjo University (OOU) and other State-owned institutions.

*We say capital NO to the plans of the OOU management to increase fees ostensibly to increase IGR. Instead, we call for the drastic reduction in OOU fees to an affordable level that students can afford.

* We demand the immediate approval and payment by the Ogun State government ofN40,000 Cost of Studying Allowance (COSA) to all Nigerian students in the state-owned tertiary institutions.

* We demand the democratic running of OIabisi Onabanjo University and other tertiary institutions in the state through involvement of elected representatives of staff unions and students in all decision making organs in the education sector.

* Free and functional education at all levels and public ownership of the commanding heights of the economy under the democratic control and management of elected bodies of the working people.

Dayo Adesulu

Vanguard