Education Minister Gives Account of Stewardship in One Year
*To meet ASUU Monday over 43-year-old debacle
*Says enrollment increased from 30 to 55 million in basic, non-formal education
Kuni Tyessi in Abuja
The Minister of Education, Prof. Mamman Tahir, has revealed that in living up to the mandate of President Bola Tinubu towards ensuring that strikes are a thing of the past in the nation’s tertiary institutions, the ministry has invited the leadership of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) for a meeting on Monday, August 26.
Addressing journalists yesterday in Abuja on the 13 pillars and focal points of his one year in office, Tahir said some of the issues consistently being raised by the union are historical while some are agreements that started since 1981 and have been inherited from one administration to another.
While noting the legality of the union’s demands, he stated that so far, payment of 50 per cent allowances being withheld from members of the union have been released based on court judgement.
He said the ministry, as well as other MDAs are working round the clock to resolve the issues towards ensuring that the mandate of the President when he assumed office is met with the hope that there will be no strike.
“We need to be clear on what ASUU wants so far. What they have done is to declare a trade dispute and it is after that, that they will go on strike.
“I have been signing series of letters and we are working on solving the issues. Some of them are historical issues while some of them are agreements that started since 1981. So every administration inherited the problems of ASUU, ASUP and COEASU.
“So, we have already invited them to come on Monday in the afternoon and after the meeting, we are hoping that it will not reach the extent whereby they’ll go on strike.
“They’ve paid 50 per cent of allowances withheld based on the court judgement. We are working the clock to resolve the issues to ensure that the mandate of the President when he assumed office is met.”
In his success story, he said so far, a total of four million out of school children have been enrolled into schools nationwide with the Federal Capital Territory registering not less than 20,000 children in the last two weeks.
He disclosed that in total, enrollment of children in basic education as well as non formal education has increased from 30 million to 55 million and four million children will be taken off the streets annually in the next three years of the present administration.
Also, 40,000 facilities for various schools at basic and non formal education, as well as 6,500 boarding facilities which includes auditorium, classrooms and hostels have been established, as well as 44 high schools nationwide.
“We have been able to capture four million out of school children through four agencies. In this, 20,000 young children were registered in Abuja in the last two weeks. With the number achieved in the last one year, four million children will be brought out annually in the next three years.
“A committee with UNESCO and World Bank has been set up to review teachers’ support and welfare using global best practices, so that teachers can be happy with the quality of education and delivery modules.
“We have established 40,000 facilities for various schools at basic and non formal education, as well as 6,500 boarding facilities which includes auditoriums, classrooms and hostels. So far, 44 high schools have been established.
“Scholarships in the last one year have been given to 759,000 qualified students of which some were internal and some external from various ministries and agencies.”
Amongst other achievements, he added that “We have also added the number of tertiary institutions in order to address the issues surrounding accessibility and to cater to the teeming population of admission seekers. So far, monies owed the foreign schools have been released and paid to the beneficiary institutions so that the students can continue with their studies.”
