Kano—Joint Consultative Forum of Academic Staff of Tertiary Institutions in Kano State has called off its four-month old  industrial action.

The strike was jointly embarked upon by the academic staff of Kano State Polytechnic, Sa‘adatu Rimi College of Education, Aminu Kano College of Islamic and Legal Studies, as well as College of Arts, Science and Remedial Studies.

The state Commissioner for Higher Education, Dr. Aisha Ismail, said in Kano, yesterday, that all the parties were able to reach an agreement to call off the strike “based on mutual trust”.

She noted that in view of the fact that Kano was the most populous state in the country, available infrastructure in its institutions were over-stretched due to increasing number of students enrolment.

Ismail reiterated government’s commitment to the provision of  necessary facilities and structures in state-owned  higher institutions, through various strategies, including public private partnership.

Chairman of the Joint Consultative Forum, Comrade Yusuf Alhassan, had earlier told newsmen that he was optimistic that the agreement would be honoured by government. He said the forum had given government a four-week grace to start negotiating on how to address the demands of the teachers and avoid further disruption of academic work in the colleges.

The teachers were agitating for the implementation of a new salary structure, improvement of infrastructure and working facilities as well as the transfer of matters affecting tertiary institutions to the Ministry of Education.