Union accuses FG of being the cause of educational backwardness in Nigeria

olamide oni

July 19, 2016 10:45 AM

While condemning the decision by the FG to scrap POST-UME, the union explained that the decision did not serve the interest of Nigerians.

Education Minister - Adamu Adamu

The

National President of ASUU, Comrade Biodun Ogunyemi, who spoke in Abuja on Monday, July 18, kicked against the proposed plan by the federal government to scrap the post-University Matriculation Tertiary Examination, saying the Joint Admission and Matriculations Board, JAMB, could not admit students for universities.

He added that it is unfortunate that instead of the budgetary allocation to improve, it was only reducing.

Ogunyemi called on the government to commence the process for the payment of N623 billion, being backlog of earned academic allowances and funding of universities.

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While condemning the decision by the federal government to scrap the conduct of POST-UME, the union explained that the decision did not serve the interest of Nigerians and that the university tertiary matriculation examination, UTME, conducted by JAMB is not credible enough to warrant the cancellation of the post UTME tests.

Ogunyemi said the action by government was typical of its current lukewarm attitude towards the spirit and letters of the FGN/ASUU agreement of 2009, vowing that the union as an important stakeholder in the university system will continue to draw the attention of all concerned to possible threat to peaceful development and growth of the Nigerian Education System.

He said: ”We consider it appalling that no consultation with stakeholders especially with ASUU and the Vice Chancellors was held before such far reaching national policy like the cancellation of Post Ume was pronounced.

“In a fundamental way, the policy undermines the autonomy of universities and powers of universities’ senate as the highest policy making body on academic matters, particularly admission of students and award of university degrees.”

Speaking on education minister, Malam Adamu Adamu's declaration that the nation has confidence in what JAMB is doing, Ogunyemi pointed out that even a former Minister of education, Mrs Chinwe Obaji, in 2005 questioned the credibility of most JAMB high fliers, who even though they scored as high as 280 performed abysmally low in the post- ume exercise.

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