LAGOS — HUMAN Rights Writers’ Association of Nigeria, (HURIWA) yesterday lamented what it called the speedy collapse of the nation’s educational system and called for the immediate sack of the Education Minister, Dr. Sam Egwu, for alleged dereliction of duty and failure to competently negotiate with the university teachers to prevent the frequent industrial actions.
The group also said the current administration had portrayed itself by words and actions as being anti-intellectualism even as it called on the government to save the public educational system from total collapse.
In a statement after its monthly meeting and endorsed by the National Coordinator, Comrade Emmanuel Onwubiko, the group urged the National Assembly in the corporate interest of Nigeria to initiate and pass a legislation for onward endorsement of President Umaru Yar’Adua to make it compulsory that children of all political office holders who are of school age must be enrolled in public schools up to the university level.
According to him, the group believes that if a law is made to compel political office holders to educate their children in public schools, then the rapidly collapsing public educational system would be saved from imminent and total collapse.
HURIWA said the fundamental cause of the decay in the public educational system in the country was linked to the fact that most political office holders have enrolled their children in the few good private schools in Nigeria and foreign nations including Ghana.
Blaming the current administration for actively working to undermine the development and introduction of workable infrastructure in the various public educational institutions, the group demanded the sack of the Education minister for the alleged deceptive measures he has adopted in the ongoing trade dispute between the Federal Government and the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU).
The group called on the Federal Government to honour and implement the agreement reached with the university teachers eight years ago and provide the basic infrastructural facilities necessary for learning in the various neglected public tertiary institutions in Nigeria.
for all that its worth, u can not apportion all the blames to the minister of education leaving the so called asuu members to be praised. Their nefarious hearths and outrageous demands has put all of us into this mess.Nigeria as a country has a long way to go.until asuu members find another alternative to meet their demands, our educational system will always remain depleted.
I’ve listened to Sam Egwu speak a few times and my conclusions are that he’s a man bereft of ideas on how to resolve the ASUU problem and take education to higher grounds. He always sounds reactive and defensive rather than proactive and imaginative. Unfortunately, most of our Ministers seem that way. Lacking in ideas and creativity.
Nigeria has failed agreed but Military solution is never the solution. The solution lies in the practicing of true federalism where every region will be allowed to take its stocks. The government knows about this but the holding grip of Arewa and some few Southern sellouts have not allowed Nigeria and Nigerians to see the light which is still residing at the end of the tunnel.
I am using this medium to call on every Nigerian student presently at home to join forces with MEND of AFRIKA to mend every Nigeria’s problem. And if tribalism can bring the much needed development in Nigeria, so be it.
Making the children of political office holders and its appointees to attend schools in Nigeria up to the university level should be the yardstick to measure Madam Dora’s rebranding policy. Anything short of this is a cheap deceit.
Government if Nigeria still has any should urgently request every of her officer holder to bring their wards back to Nigerian schools.
The student union governments in Nigeria should act on this swiftly cuz they are the ones at the receiving end.
This nation is sick with almost all labour unions on strike. It’s disheartening! God Almighty will deal with all of them. Useless breeds!
THE MINISTER THREW A BASH WITH VARIOUS GOVT OFFICIALS INCLUDING “MADAM REBRANDING” IN ATTEDANCE. IS THAT HOW TO REBRAND NIGERIA? WHEN UNIVERSITY TEACHERS ARE ON STRIKE I THINK WHAT THE NATION NEEDS NOW IS MILLITARY REVOLUTION!
THIS NATION IS UNDER DEVELOP IF AT THIS STAGE WILL ARE STILL HAVING PROBLEM WITH OUR EDUCATIONAL SYSTEM AND THE MINISTER CAN SPENT SO MUCH IN CELEBRATING HIS OLD AGED BIRTHDAY, THEN WHERE ARE WILL GOING. THIS COUNTRY IS AT THE STATE OF REDUNDANCY, A NATION WHERE POVERTY, CORRUPTION, STARVATION AND UNEVEN DEVELOPMENT IS THE ORDER OF THE DAY. NIGERIANS ARE ASHAME OF YOU PEOPLE. REMEMBER GOD WILL JUDGE YOU,
It is amazing, when the Education Minister was invited to NTA network programme to explain the situation of things. He applied argumentum ad misericordiam (appeal to pity) by telling us that they all are from the university system as if that is a criteria for being a fantastic Education Minister.