Why qualified Nigerians don't want to be lecturers - ASUU

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The Chairman of the University of Ibadan chapter of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), Prof. Ayo Akinwole, has blamed  poor welfare as the reason qualified young Nigerians shun lecturing jobs in the university system.

Akinwole who said this in his New Year message, also stated that the same thing was affecting the primary and secondary system as  “the teachers are not well-paid, leading to the reluctance of qualified teachers to take up employment in public primary and secondary schools, paving the way for the untrained and unqualified teachers hold sway”.

Adding, he said,  “The result of this has been the proliferation of private schools, most of which are out of the reach of the poor due to the exorbitant fees they charge.”

The union leader lamented that education was lamented only about seven per cent  in the  2025 budget.

He said,  “This falls far below the benchmark of 15 per cent to 20 per cent educational budget for underdeveloped countries, like Nigeria, specified by both UNESCO and United Nations Fund for Population Activities (UNFPA), which has been advocated by our union”.

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While praising the Federal Government for setting up a committee to renegotiate the 2009 FGN/ASUU agreement, he warned against unnecessary delays.

“To be sure, since 2017, various committees had been put in place by the government to renegotiate the agreement with ASUU.

“For instance, the Babalakin-led Joint Renegotiation Committee was set up, followed by Emeritus Professor Munzali Jubril-led Committee, and followed by the late Prof. Nimi Briggs-led Committee, which yielded a draft agreement between the committee and ASUU in 2021.

“Unfortunately, the (Muhammadu) Buhari administration refused to sign the agreement reached upon by a committee set up by it. It is, therefore, our opinion that instead of a fresh renegotiation of the agreement, the Tinubu-led administration should rather set in motion a process that will lead to the review and signing of the Nimi Briggs-led renegotiated draft agreement as a mark of goodwill and assured hope for Nigeria’s public universities,” he said

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