Save Public Education Group, a civil society organisation, has pledged to organise a nationwide student demonstration if the ongoing strike by the Academic Staff Union of Universities continues.
The group bemoaned the near collapse of the country’s education sector and noted that the insecurity afflicting many states of the Federation was a direct outcome of the sector’s failure.
The group’s position was made known by its Convener, Vivian Bello, who briefed journalists in Abuja on Monday.
Bello remarked that students in public tertiary institutions missed a total of 725 school days as a result of the ASUU strike during the administration of Muhammadu Buhari.
She said, “Education is non-negotiable as there is no alternative to it. The insecurity we are experiencing today is traceable to the failure of the education sector.
“We have watched with total awe and abhorrence the near total collapse of tertiary education in Nigeria.
“Distressing statistics show that ASUU has been on strike for a total of over 725 days, since the beginning of this administration over issues that bother largely on poor welfare, university autonomy and lack of adequate funding for universities.
“When tallied inversely, this amounts to an entire two and half years’ loss, in the educational lives of innocent Nigerian children/students in public universities across the country.
“It did not end there; The Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics and Colleges of Education, ASUP and COEASU are all also currently on strike on similar issues as ASUU.
“We all can see clearly that this is an all-around collapse of the tertiary education in the country,” she said.
“It did not end there; The Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics and Colleges of Education, ASUP and COEASU are all also currently on strike on similar issues as ASUU.
“We all can see clearly that this is an all-round collapse of the tertiary education in the country,” she said.
Bello also called on the government to give the needed attention and resources needed to tackle the strike in the country’s tertiary education.
The Co-convener, SPEG, Dimeji Macaulay, said they were waiting for the outcome of the ASUU meeting with the government before declaring a 14-day ultimatum.
