Tobias Sylvester
The Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has asked the Senate to ban government officials from sending their children to school abroad.
ASUU President, Prof Emmanuel Osodeke made the call at the reconvened meeting with the Federal Government, being conciliated by the Minister of Labour and Employment, in Abuja, on Thursday.
According to him, the National Assembly should enact a law that makes it compulsory for the public office holders to send their wards to public schools in the country.
Osodeke said that making public office holders to enroll their wards in public schools in Nigeria would force them to fix the challenges in public schools.
The ASUU President also commended the Minister of Labour and Employment, Senator Chris Ngige for demonstrating an uncommon faith in the university system by sending his children to public schools in Nigeria.
Osodeke said Ngige’ commitment to the growth and development of the country’s educational system should be emulated by other ministers.
He said, “I hope other ministers will follow the same step as you. I think you are the only minister whose children are in the country. We see others standing by their children outside the country during graduation. But we saw you standing by one of your children who graduated in Lagos, proudly.
“We hope all others will emulate you and that government will make it mandatory that if you accept a government appointment, your children must attend universities in the country.
“The National Assembly must formulate a law that if you take an appointment, your children must study here. If you know that your children cannot be here, don’t take government appointments.”
“When you hear those in government who send their children to schools abroad say that ASUU goes on strike, they should know that strike is not the problem.
“The problem is that the issues afflicting the universities; nobody is interested in tackling them. Look at the budget we have seen recently, it is exactly the same thing we have been seeing; nothing has changed.
“And this country is paying the high price for neglecting education- the banditry you see, the kidnapping and what have you, is because people are not being taken care of. That is why ASUU has been struggling so that Nigerian universities will be revamped so that as our children go outside for learning.”
Ngige assured that the FG would not abandon the public universities in spite of dwindling resources and reiterated government’s readiness to work with ASUU and others interested in revamping the educational system.
KanyiDaily recalls that Akure chapter of the ASUU had also called for a law that restricts children of political office holders from studying outside the country.
