SIWES students voice out on ASUU-FG saga.

SIWES students voice out on ASUU-FG saga.

 SIWES students in the Machine shop with their instructors.

It is getting to three months since the academic staff union of universities (ASUU) downed their tools consequent upon the non-compliance of the federal government to their 2009 agreement. And all over the nation, students in public varsities have been at home with no hope of going back to their various schools soonest. They have been turned to helpless spectators to the ASUU-FG showdown since the battle between the two opponents took a mean face. The public varsities Students have assumed the fate of the proverbial grass, suffering miserably under the fight of these two elephants. 

Ever since the recent disagreement between the two parties began, everybody has been expressing his or her stance on the enduring saga: parents, students and most stakeholders. Most popular on the opinion polls are students who have been at home for more than two months as a result of the countless number of +ASUU-FG dialogues that ended in deadlocks. Other group of students who are not at home, but currently at their places of industrial attachments have also bared their mind on the lingering crisis when our correspondent sourced the opinions of some of the students undergoing their Students Industrial Work Experience Scheme (SIWES) programme at Science Equipment and Development Institute, Enugu (SEDI-E) on the ongoing industrial action embarked on by ASUU and their demands from the federal government.

Uche Ede, a 400-level Petroleum engineering student of Federal University of Technology, Owerri (FUTO) who is undergoing training at the Machine Shop section of the institute spoke in support of the decision taken by ASUU. He called on his fellow students to see their stay at home as a sacrifice given for a better education system for posterity. He said, “Though students have been at home for a long time, I still think we should endure the misery and bear the burden once and for all and most especially for the sake of our unborn children. There is no better time to fight against the decay in our education system than now.’’  He therefore appealed to the federal government to meet ASUU demands that students may go back to school.

Another student Uwa Orji, a 400-level Metallurgical and Materials  engineering student of university of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN) also undergoing training  in the Machine Building section of the institute dismissed the claims that what ASUU is demanding is too much. He said that education should be made priority and that no money invested in Education is a waste. He opined, “Education should be our number one priority. But it’s quite a pity that it is being sidelined by the federal government for other mundane issues. I don’t mind staying at home for one year provided the standard of our institutions are brought to parity with others in the developed countries. No money invested in education is a waste, so ASUU is justified for whatever amount they are demanding from the federal government.

“Government should forgo every plan being made for the imminent national celebrations: the independence and centenary anniversaries, that they are busy preparing for, and salvage the education system first, for education is the hope of every nation.’’

SIWES student welding in the machine building unit at SEDI-E

The students accused the ruling class of not paying much attention to the plights of the students at home, because their wards can never be seen in the public varsities. In his statements, Emmanuel Eze, a 400-level Electronic Engineering student of University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN) expressed displeasure with the state of our public varsities and maintained that what ASUU is asking for will make the nation’s varsities to be among the best in the world. “The federal government should shift ground and respect their agreement with ASUU. We understand that they don’t care even if we stay a year at home. Because their children are over there studying abroad, graduating with better knowledge from standard schools. And this is a trend that ASUU is fighting against: the tradition of travelling abroad before one can get a quality education.’’

Nevertheless, the students expressed concern for the numerous problems bothering the president, ranging from insecurity to political crisis. But that notwithstanding, they also believe that the federal government can still meet up with the requirements of the education sector if they so desire. On this note, Comrade Idongesit Bassey, a 400-level Mechanical Engineering student of University of Uyo, undergoing training at the Machine Shop unit of the institute, called on the Federal government to respond to the education sector, as it is the pivot for the development of every other sector. He said, “We understand that the president is distracted by a lot of national issues. But we should also understand that if the education sector is sidelined, no other sector would survive. It is a shame that we now patronize our neighbouring countries like Ghana, Togo and even Benin republic for quality education. While we are busy priding ourselves as the giant of Africa. I expected the president as a former university lecturer to be in a better position to understand the plights of his former colleagues and tackle the decay in the Education system.’’ He urged ASUU to deal with this issue once and for all to avert the possibility of another strike in the nearest future on the same issue. He believes that Nigerian students have the brain to rule the world, as they have always shown in other schools abroad, but they are grossly hindered by the poor study environment that has become synonymous with our education sector.

The industrial training students also bemoaned the poor standard of learning facilities in their schools and confessed that they could not do practically most of the things they were taught in school until they commenced training at the institute, as result of the absence of the necessary equipment for quality learning process in our public varsities, and thus more justification for the strike action.

Although majority of the respondents that spoke to our correspondent declared an unflinching support for the demands made by ASUU, however some percentage differed in their own opinions. David Ekweoba, a 300-level Industrial Chemistry of Nnamdi Azikwe University, who is undergoing training at the optical unit of the institute called on ASUU to bear with the federal government, and call off the strike. He said “I think ASUU should consider the offers already made by the federal government. I don’t think the strike is mainly for the interest of students. As you can see, it has delayed the graduation of many students. They should come to terms with the federal government and also consider the plights of the students at home, and not always their own interest.’’ Still in support of this motion, another student, Tochukwu Nnanyelu, 400-level chemical Engineering Student of Enugu state University of Sience and Technology (ESUT), also in the same institute, described the ASUU strike as going out of proportion. He called on them to compromise their stand and return to classrooms. “The current strike embarked on by ASUU is not favourable to students. ASUU should find another way of settling their dispute with the federal government other than downing their tools.  They should call off the strike while they continue dialogue with the federal government.’’ He said. They also dread going back to stay at home upon the completion of their SIWES programme.

Meanwhile the students are worried that the academic calendar that had seemed to being reorganized after it was distorted by the 2009 strike is once again shattered by the ongoing strike. Though Some Schools like the University of Nigeria, Nsukka and Nnamdi Azikwe University are lucky to have completed their session before the strike started in earnest,  many schools were not as lucky as the duo as they were still rounding off their first semester examinations when the strike struck, and hence  a big setback for their academic calendars. Students have not been reluctant to express their dismay at the level of negligence meted out on the capacity building of the nation’s future, the students. In this spirit, one of the Nigerian students, Fidelis Itoro, of University of Uyo, bitterly retorted on his Facebook status. He lamented, “Please don’t address us as ‘great Nigerian students’ again. What is great about the Nigerian student? We have been at home for the past 73 days and you are still referring to us as great Nigerian students. Even when our future is in jeopardy and you are still calling us great Nigerian students? Please address us as Nigerian Students and we will be happy about it.’’