Don’t disrupt academic calendar over fees hike, minister begs students

The Minister of State for Education, Dr Tanko Sununu, has appealed to students, parents, and lecturers in public tertiary institutions to shun acts capable of disrupting the academic calendar ahead of school resumption.

Sununu made the appeal in Abuja on Wednesday when the leadership of the Congress of University Academics paid him a courtesy visit.

The minister said exercise of restraint would be in the best interest of all stakeholders as well as the stability of the system.

He said his ministry was having “constructive dialogue and consultation with stakeholders over the welfare of students, and staff as well as the provision of infrastructure in the nation’s tertiary institutions.”

While acknowledging that strike action and  disuse of facilities could lead to rapid decay, Sununu promised “President Bola Tinubu’s commitment to avoid any situation that could lead to further industrial actions.”

The President of CONUA,  Niyi Sunmonu, expressed fear of possible unrest in public tertiary institutions in the wake of the new increase in school fees, saying it had the potential to disrupt academic activities and the school calendar.

Sunmonu also appealed to the government to look into ways of improving the condition of service of academic and non-academic staff of universities, which he said had deteriorated due to the petroleum subsidy removal.

He added that there was a need to revisit the issue of the eight-month salary arrears that arose from the last strike by the Academic Staff Union of Universities, arguing that members of CONUA did not go on strike.

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