ASUU Meets FG Again Today, May Call Off Strike After Meeting – Minister

ASUU is meeting again with Federal Government today, 13th August, 2013 and the ongoing strike by ASUU may soon come to an end according to the Education Minister. According to her, the ongoing strike by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) is likely to be called off after Tuesday’s meeting between the union and the Federal Government.

Minister of Education, Prof. Ruquyyatu Rufai, expressed the hope in an interview with newsmen shortly after her presentation at the workshop on mid-year implementation report of the four-year educational strategic plan yesterday in Abuja.

The minister stated that government has been doing its best to address the challenges, noting that negotiations have been ongoing since the strike started.

“You know we have been talking. I have been telling you what we have been talking, but quote me correctly because last time I addressed the press, I said we were talking. We are going to continue meeting with ASUU tomorrow and we hope that tomorrow’s meeting will go a long way in resolving the crisis,” she said.

She identified four issues which should be addressed in order to achieve the set goals: strengthening institutional management of education, teacher education and development, technical and vocational education and training (TVET) and Funding, and resource mobilisation and utilisation.

“Education is key to achieving and sustaining the goals of a Nigerian society that must develop its citizens as assets so that they can support the drive for competitive advantage,’’ Rufa’i said.

She noted that in spite of the achievements being recorded in the sector, a lot of challenges still remained unattended to.

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