UNIVERSITY of Port Harcourt chapter of Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, has appealed to parents and other stakeholders in the education sector to help prevail on Federal Government to implement agreement reached with lecturers.
Speaking at an interactive forum with students of the university on the main campus of the school, Chairman of ASUU in the university, Prof. Antonia Okerengwo, said as lecturers they feel the pains like other Nigerians, but that they were forced to go on strike.
She said: “Our children are also exposed to the hardship and difficulties encountered by other students in the Nigerian university system.”
She explained that the Union had no other option than to embark on a national strike in the face of the failure of Federal Government to implement the agreement.
Continuing, she said the university’s chapter of ASUU organized the interactive session with the students to keep them informed on the issues that gave rise to the strike action.
She said: “ASUU had embarked on a three months strike starting December 8, 2011.
“The strike was suspended on March 20, 2012 after government signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the union affirming details of implementation of the agreement.
“In the last 16 months, ASUU had taken several steps to get the government to fully implement the agreement to avoid the resumption of the suspended strike action. Government had failed to do this.”
The students, who took turn to ask questions, urged government to take urgent steps to save the country’s education system.
