The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) on Thursday asked the National Assembly to initiate a law that makes it compulsory for the public office holders to send their wards to public schools in the country.
It said such a step would let the officials know the decay in the public universities.
ASUU President, Prof. Emmanuel Osodeke, said this in Abuja on Thurday at meeting with Minister of Labour and Employment, Chris Ngige.
“When you hear those in the government who send their children to schools abroad say that ASUU goes on strike, they should know that strike is not the problem. The problem is the issues afflicting the universities; nobody is interested in tackling them,” he said.
“Look at the budget we have seen recently, it is exactly the same thing we have been seeing. Nothing has changed. And this country is paying the high price for neglecting education – the banditry you see, the kidnapping and what have you, is because people are not being taken care of.
“That is why ASUU has been struggling, so that Nigerian universities will be revamped, so that as our children go outside for learning, other children from other countries will come here too and pay to this country in hard currency.”
Ngige said government would not abandon the public universities in spite of dwindling resources and reiterated the government’s readiness to work with ASUU and others interested in revamping the educational system.
