The Education Rights Campaign (ERC), an NGO, on Tuesday appealed to the Federal Government to implement all the agreements it entered into with various unions in the education sector.
The National Coordinator of ERC, Mr Hassan Taiwo, made the appeal while speaking with newsmen in Abuja.
Taiwo described the refusal of government to meet the demands of the unions and the consequent shutdown of the nation’s institution of learning as worrisome.
“We believe that the demands of ASUP and COEASU are genuine, which if implemented, would increase the quality of teachers that will revive Nigeria’s ailing public education system.
“We also call on the Federal Government to show more concern in the problems of the education sector, to save the system from total collapse,’’ he said.
Taiwo called on the Nigeria labour movements to join hands with ASUP and COEASU in the struggle.
“We want to call on the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Trade Union Congress (TUC) and other associations and affiliates to intervene, to save the future of Nigerian students.
“All the stakeholders must come together to fight a common course so as to ensure that the lingering crisis in the sector was resolved.
“Parents, members of the public as well as the Nigerian workers should also show a sign of concern to save public education.
‘’ASUP has been on strike for about 10 months cumulatively while COEASU strike has lasted for more than five months.
“To us in ERC, the demands of the unions can be met in few days if government can show a little bit of concern, ’’ he said.
He faulted the discrimination between the Higher National Diploma (HND) and degree holders, saying there was no basis for the situation.
Taiwo said that skills obtained from both certificates could not be measured with the same standards, adding that both were different fields of human endeavour.
He added that HND and B.sc holders were equally important in the social, economic, technological and scientific development of the country. (NAN)
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