New Education Minister Meets ASUP

The new Minister of Education, Mallam Ibrahim
Shekarau met with ASUP and COEASU leadership
in order to put an end to the strike.

This is
coming hours after he assumed office as the new
Education Minister.
Read the full details of the news as reported by
LeadershipNG:

Shekarau Meets ASUP,COEASU To End Strike
Crisis
He held a combined meeting with the leadership
of the Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics
(ASUP) and the College of Education Academic
Staff Union(COEASU) where both unions tabled
the grievances that had elicited an indefinite
strike in the last 10 months.
ASUP’s President, Chibuzo Asomugha who spoke
on behalf of both unions, raised issues of
polytechnic visitation white paper which was yet
to be released by the federal government.

He also said both unions were aggrieved by the
non constitution of governing councils of six
federal polytechnics, including the report of the
Needs Assessment of Nigerian Polytechnics which
are yet to be implemented since 2012.

Asomugha equally bemoaned delay in amending
the Polytechnic Act, adding that the last time
such amendment took place was in 2004.

While advocating an end to dictonomy between
degree programmes and Higher National Diploma
(HND), he said setting up an independent
commission, the National Polytechnic Commission
would greatly reduce unrest in the sector.

Shekarau, in his response, appealed to the unions
to prevail on their lecturers to go back to
classroom, adding that the polytechnic sector
which happen to be the engine room for national
development could not afford to be under lock
and key for so long.
He assured the affected unions of government
commitment to the education sector, insisting
that discussions could go on while the union
suspended the strike.

“As a minister and with my pedigree as a teacher,
I can assure you that government is committed to
the education system.
“Now that I have been briefed on some of the
challenges, I will table the issues before the
appropriate quarters where more holistic view will
be given to them, but in the in meantime, I want
to appeal to you to suspend the strike in the
interest of our children and Nigerians.

“Polytechnics are the engine room of our national
economy, we cannot make any progress as a
nation without taking the polytechnic sector into
consideration,” he stated.