COEASU Strike: Students Urges FG To Dialogue With Lecturers

Worried by the three-month-old strike of lecturers of Colleges of Education nationwide, some students on Wednesday urged the Federal Government to dialogue with the lecturers.

The students, who spoke with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), called for an end to the strike.

The lecturers under the aegis of Colleges of Education Academic Staff Union (COEASU) had on Dec. 18, 2013 embarked on an indefinite strike to press home their demands.

The demands include non-implementation of the 2010 Federal Government-COEASU agreement, poor state of infrastructure and poor funding of the colleges.

Mr Olayanju Abolaji, the Chairman, COEASU, Federal College of Education (Technical), Akoka Chapter, had said the partial implementation of their demands by the government was “unacceptable.’’

Olusola Ogunnowo, the President, Students Union of the College, urged the government and the lecturer to sheathe their swords.

He described as worrisome the continued idling away of students at home as a result of the strike.

“Both the government and the lecturers should consider our plight and shift ground.

“The Part 11 students are presently on teaching practice, and none of them are being supervised by the lecturers because of the strike.

“Strike is destructive to the nation’s education system and standard; it will also affect the academic calendar and prolong our stay in school,’’ he told NAN.

Bunmi Kazeem, a Part 11 Accounting student of the Federal College of Education, Bwari, Abuja, urged the government and the striking lecturers to meet themselves midway in a bid to end the strike.

“Government should please call the union for dialogue and meet its demands to end the strike.’’

Also speaking, Damilola Oyetola, a final year student of the Department of Geography, Federal College of Education (Special), Oyo, stressed the need for an amicable resolution of the issues.

She said:“By now, I should be rounding off my project. But it is unfortunate that the lecturers are not available for necessary supervision.’’ (NAN)