ASUU STRIKE AND THE NEGATIVE IMPACTS ON NIGERIAN TERTIARY EDUCATION
Academic Staff Union of Universities(ASUU) is a Non-Governmental Organization comprising of all academic staff of all government owned universities, federal and state. Established as a replacement for Nigerian Association of University Teachers (NAUT) in the year 1978, ASUU was founded to protect the interest of all its members spread across the country. Due to some unmet demands by the union, ASUU and the Federal Government of Nigeria are always in conflict over funding of the Nigerian universities, better working conditions, university autonomy, among other ASUU demands.
Over the years, members of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) have embarked on strike actions for various reasons such as under-funding of universities, poor physical working conditions, poor remuneration, delay in payment of salaries and allowance etc. Since 1999, Nigerian universities have been on strike for a cumulative period of over three years .The reoccurrence of strikes in Nigeria has gone a long way in determining the current state of the educational system. In as much as it has had some positive impacts, the negative impact it has had on the educational system is more. It has in one way or the other affected every Nigerian. Many ills in the society today can be traced back to have their inception from during the period of strike.
Learning in Universities has been made irregular as students may have forgotten what they have learnt before the disruption of an academic session upon their resumption to school. Memory is lost if what is being learnt is not reactivated over time.
There is no university system in the world that has no strike history. However, in Nigeria it is at the extreme, with strikes lingering for months. In North America, Europe and Asia where the top-ranking universities are found, strikes last for a few hours or maximum of one day (Morgan, 2007).
Amongst other negative effects of ASUU strike on Nigerian tertiary education, some of its core negative effects are highlighted below.
Disruption Of Academic Calendar and Poor Academic Performance: Most times, when these strikes are called off and students return to school, it is noticed that they must have forgotten what they have learnt before the disruption of the session. Coupled with the fact that upon resumption, students are rushed through lectures as they are expected to learn in two weeks, what they should have learnt in three months and reports have shown that majority of failures in University are recorded in examinations taken immediately after students return from a long break. The situation witnessed in the University academics has resulted in the turning out of half-baked graduates into the labour market. These half-baked products cannot live up to expectation in their various chosen professions.
Lost Of Interest in Nigeria Education System: Most parents and students have lost interest in the educational system in Nigeria, as those who can afford education outside the country have started making moves towards it. Some soon to be parents have vowed that their children will not school in this system. All as a result of the negative impacts the prolonged strike actions by the union has caused.
Increase In Miscreants, Immorality and Crime: The strike has caused many to be idle, the idle mind, they say, is the Devil’s workshop. During these periods of strikes, students, as a result of their idleness and frustration, engage in deviant behaviour like robbery, arson, rape, touting and constitute nuisance to the society. Some of them totally drop the idea of schooling and decide to continue in their newly found path. Pregnancy rate as well as abortion rate among students have increased significantly. Many students still around campus vicinity are seen swotting with the opposite sex as this period of no academic activities make it possible for them to bond better.
Protracted Stay In The University: These strikes have over the years increased the stay of students in school. Some students who were unlucky had their stay in school increased by one or two academic years. As a result of this, some person’s plans for life have been distorted and disorganized.
Professional Brain-drain: Many scholars, members of staff have left the profession as a result of these interruptions and it has led to understaffing of universities as we no longer have people interested in the profession. This understaffing goes further to reduce the standard of education as we no longer have enough staff to teach students and even the available ones are overworked thereby reducing their productivity.
Lost Of Interest In Continuing Academic Programme: These incessant strike actions have made lots of students, loose interest in schooling. Many of them now consider learning a trade or venturing into business as a better idea. Even for some female students and their parents, marriage has become a better option. Their parents see no reason why their daughters should waste 6-7 years of their lives pursuing a four-year program in the university when they can as well get them married. In as much as this can be considered to be a wrong notion, some parents seem to be left no other choice but one.
In conclusion, the massive negative effects of the industrial action by the union cannot be over emphasized, therefore the government should strengthen the education sector and prioritize the needs of the union for the effectiveness of the Nigerian tertiary education.
REFERENCES:
https://www.google.com/url?q=https://oer.unn.edu.ng/read/impacts-of-asuu-strike-on-tertiary-education-in-nigeria-an-assessment
https://steemit.com/nigeria/@samiwhyte/the-effect-of-asuu-strike-on-the-nigerian-education-system
