Education minister, Adamu speaks on ASUU strike as he meets VCs

The Federal Government on Tuesday in Abuja met with Vice Chancellors and Pro-Chancellors of federal universities to end the ongoing strike by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU).

The Minister of Education, Mallam Adamu Adamu, at the meeting, described the indefinite strike by ASUU as an anguish and internal turmoil to him.

Adamu said he wanted the parties to reach an amicable resolution of all the issues contained in the 2009 Agreements because the past two weeks had been a very dark period in the education sector.

“I used to think in a climate of frankness, and with mutual goodwill, an end or solution would have been found to incessant strikes in the education sector.

This has not been possible or, at least, not as easy and straightforward, as I used to think,” he said.

The minister quoted the President of ASUU, Prof. Emmanuel Osodeke to have said the union would no longer negotiate with the current administration on the ongoing strike.

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He said that that position must be resisted to salvage the country’s educational system.

“Government and ASUU have no option than to continue talking, until our universities are reopened to students who, clearly, are the principal victims of the seemingly unending strike.

“In this circumstances, therefore, all councils and senates of our universities are enjoined to rise up to their responsibilities.

“We must, together, continue to work to restore our public universities to where they are in the 60s and 70s.

“As the most important officers in our university system, Pro Chancellors and Vice-Chancellors, must demonstrate more commitment to ending the ongoing strike,” he said.

He urged the Vice Chancellors and Pro-Chancellors to make it a duty to promote policies and actions that would discourage industrial disputes in our campuses.

He added that the government would continue to support the physical and academic development of its universities as well as enhance the working conditions of all university staff. (NAN)