Education Ministry directs varsities to commence re-opening processes

Barely 48 hours after President Goodluck
Jonathan engaged the Academic Staff Union of
Universities, ASUU, in a marathon 13-hour
closed door meeting, in a bid to end the
union's four-month old strike, Vanguard
gathered, yesterday, that officials of the
Federal Ministry of Education have been
directed to commence processes for the re-
opening of federal universities.
Investigations revealed that governing councils
and vice chancellors of the universities have
been specifically directed, via direct
communication from the National Universities
Commission, NUC, to take immediate steps to
ensure that their institutions are in the right
position to receive students immediately the
strike is called off.
Sources at the NUC said that the vice-
chancellors were also directed to protect the
interest of students and parents henceforth
and ensure that no one takes advantage of the
ugly situation.
Before the strike which commenced on July 1,
almost all public universities were in their
second semesters and had less than two
months to conduct examinations. As the strike
lingered, final year students in the universities
had their hopes dashed for mobilization in the
Batch C set of the compulsory National Youth
Service Corps, NYSC, scheme.
According to officials of the NYSC, their
counterparts in private universities have
already resumed at their various camps last
Tuesday. What this means is that, if eventually
the strike is called-off, any time from now,
public universities will have to re-adjust their
2012/2013 academic calendar to enable their
final year students get mobilized for national
service in the next batch, come February 2014.
Meanwhile, when contacted, Vice Chancellor
one of the Federal Universities in the South-
West, who craved anonymity, disclosed that his
university is yet to receive any circular from
the Ministry of Education on a specific date of
resumption, but noted that the university is
eager to resume as soon as possible.
He said: "I have not received any circular from
the Ministry of Education on any specific date
of resumption. When we get any, we will call
back students to resume studies without delay,
as we are eager to resume once the matter is
resolved between ASUU and Federal
Government."
Asked what situation in the university has been
like in the last four months, he said: "You can
guess what has happened in the last four
months. We have not functioned to 100 per
cent capacity. Teaching and learning have been
put on hold, but research and all other
administrative functions have continued.
Within the last four months, we have been
sending and receiving proposals."
Source: vanguardngr