Education
Ngige: FG not against new welfare package for lecturers, others
- ASUU strike: NLC to meet varsity workers leaders
The Federal Government says it is not against negotiating a new welfare package for university workers including lecturers in line with current realities.
It said this as the Nigeria Labour Congress is set to meet with leaders of the university over the face-off between the four university-based unions and the FG concerning the non-payment of minimum wage arrears, the shortfall in salary payment, renegotiation of the 2009 agreement and revitalization funds, among others.
Speaking at a meeting with members of the 2009 FG and university-based unions renegotiation committee, the Minister of Labour and Employment, Senator Chris Ngige, said that the government was not happy with the approach being used by the Academic Staff Union of Universities to pursue its demands.
ASUU embarked on a one-month warning strike on February 14 and extended it by another two months at the expiration of the warning strike over the alleged failure of the government to address their demands.
Ngige, at the meeting with the Federal Government Renegotiation Committee in his office, pleaded with the committee to ensure that it concludes its assignment within six weeks as provided in the Memorandum of Action with the unions.
He asked the renegotiation team to keep to the six-week timeline for the conclusion of their assignment.
He said the Federal Government was aware of the level of depreciation to which the Lecturers earning have been subjected due to the rise in the inflationary rate, adding that he had advised the leadership of ASUU to find a better way of pressurizing the Federal Ministry of Education and National Universities Commission to hasten action on the Implementation of agreements reached with the government rather than rushing to strike every time there was a disagreement.
He said, “I am not Minister of Education. I cannot go to the Education minister and dictate to him how to run his place. But I told ASUU that you should be bombarding them at the Federal Ministry of Education for this to be moved forward.
“There are many ways to do so. If you go to the labour act, there is something called picketing. You can picket. The strike is an ultimate thing. Picketing means that you can stay in the corridor, clapping or singing. Workers are permitted to do so.
“But I am tired of every time there is a disagreement, it is a strike. And the bosses in the Federal Ministry of Education don’t feel the strike. It is the children and some of us parents that have our children in public schools.”
The minister also said that he had commissioned studies on productivity vis-a-vis emoluments and that the result was that payments done 10 years ago when the dollar was strong have now lost value with 100 per cent depreciation.
He said, “Why won’t I support if ASUU and their unions now want a renegotiation of their conditions of service, which is the main thing in the proposal by the previous committee?”
Chairman of the 2009 FG and University-based union renegotiation Committee, Prof. Nimi Briggs, said his committee was consulting all the stakeholders with a view to finding an amicable solution to the ASUU dispute.
Meanwhile, the leadership of the NLC has scheduled to meet with the four university-based unions over the ongoing strike in the universities.
NLC said it was worried that public universities in the country have been closed down as a result of the strike embarked by the Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities, SSANU, Non-Academic Staff Union of Allied Educational Institutions, and the National Association of Academic Technologists.
The four unions affiliated with the NLC shut down universities over unresolved issues including difficulties they face with the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System, non-payment of the minimum wage arrears, revatizatipn funds, and nonreview of the 2009 Agreement with the government.
After ASUU commenced strike in February, .SSANU and NASU through its Joint Action Committee, JAC, in March, also embarked on a two-week warning strike following the alleged government failure to address the concerns they raised which includes the nonpayment of minimum wage arrears after many promises made to them by the government.
NAAT also declared its warning strike in early March to press home its demands.
The NLC explained that the scheduled meeting with the four striking unions was to know their level of engagement with the federal government.
Vanguard reported General Secretary of NLC, Emma Ugbaja, as saying on Monday that the meeting slated for 10am on Tuesday at the Labour House was aimed at seeing a way to resolve the face-off between the aggrieved unions and government in the interest of all stakeholders.
Ugbaja said that it was proper to hear from the unions first before taking any position, adding that the interest of labour was to ensure that the matter was sorted out.
Education
UniAbuja: ASUU declares indefinite strike over disagreement with varsity management
UniAbuja: ASUU declares indefinite strike over disagreement with varsity management
University of Abuja’s branch of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has declared an indefinite strike.
The union announced the decision on Thursday during a congress held at the permanent site of the institution.
A communique issued by the varsity’s branch of the union declared the “total and indefinite strike” over a lingering disagreement with the UniAbuja management.
The issues involve ASUU’s interest in a multi-stakeholder microfinance banking venture; promotion procedures in the absence of a governing council, election for faculty deanship, and alleged illegal appointments.
Abubakar Kari, the UniAbuja student affairs dean and ex-convener of ASUU’s national political committee, confirmed the development.
Education
UTME results not available in paper format – JAMB
UTME results not available in paper format – JAMB
The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board has urged Nigerians to be wary of any candidate parading printed result slips as, currently, the results are not in any paper format.
The body also said that, unlike last year, the results cannot be found on the Board’s website at the moment.
JAMB made this known in a statement released by its spokesperson, Dr Fabian Benjamin, on Wednesday.
He stated that the information became necessary as some individuals were already circulating printed result slips on social media.
The statement read, “The Board, once again, wishes to state clearly that the only way to check the 2024 UTME result is to send UTMERESULT to 55019 or 66019 using the same phone used by the candidate in registering for the UTME exercise. Ensure that the SIM is not on any bundle.
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“This is different from what was obtained last year; hence, the results are not and cannot be found on the Board’s website at the moment.
“Candidates are urged to follow the method specified above to obtain their results. They need not visit any cybercafe or patronise any third-party entity to check their result.
“The public is also advised to be wary of any candidate parading printed result slip as currently; the result is not on any paper format as being circulated on social media by some individuals.
“A reasonable number of candidates have checked their results as seen on our monitoring dashboard but for the few still struggling, please follow the right channel.”
On Monday, the Board announced the release of the 2024 UTME results.
The Registrar, Prof. Ishaq Oloyede, made this known during a press briefing in Bwari, Abuja.
Oloyede also noted that the results of 64,624 out of the 1,904,189 who sat the examination have been withheld by the Board and will be subject to investigation. The Board Registrar noted that though a total of 1,989,668 registered, a total of 80,810 candidates were absent.
UTME results not available in paper format – JAMB
Education
78% of 2024 UTME candidates scored below 200 – JAMB
78% of 2024 UTME candidates scored below 200 – JAMB
The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board, on Monday, released the results of the 2024 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination, showing that 1,402,490 candidates out of 1,842,464 failed to score 200 out of 400 marks.
The number of candidates who failed to score half of the possible marks represents 78 per cent of the candidates whose results were released by JAMB.
Giving a breakdown of the results of the 1,842,464 candidates released, the board’s Registrar, Prof. Ishaq Oloyede, noted that, “8,401 candidates scored 300 and above; 77,070 scored 250 and above; 439,974 scored 200 and above while 1,402,490 scored below 200.”
On naming the top scorers for the 2024 UTME, Oloyede said, “It is common knowledge that the board has, at various times restated its unwillingness to publish the names of its best-performing candidates, as it considers its UTME as only a ranking examination on account of the other parameters that would constitute what would later be considered the minimum admissible score for candidates seeking admission to tertiary institutions.
“Similarly, because of the different variables adopted by respective institutions, it might be downright impossible to arrive at a single or all-encompassing set of parameters for generating a list of candidates with the highest admissible score as gaining admission remains the ultimate goal. Hence, it might be unrealistic or presumptive to say a particular candidate is the highest scorer given the fact that such a candidate may, in the final analysis, not even be admitted.
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“However, owing to public demand and to avoid a repeat of the Mmesoma saga as well as provide a guide for those, who may want to award prizes to this set of high-performing candidates, the Board appeals to all concerned to always verify claims by candidates before offering such awards.”
Oloyede also noted that the results of 64,624 out of the 1,904,189, who sat the examination, were withheld by the board and would be subject to investigation.
He noted that though a total of 1,989,668 registered, a total of 80,810 candidates were absent.
“For the 2024 UTME, 1,989,668 candidates registered including those who registered at foreign centres. The Direct Entry registration is still ongoing.
“Out of a total of 1,989,668 registered candidates, 80,810 were absent. A total of 1,904,189 sat the UTME within the six days of the examination.
“The Board is today releasing the results of 1,842,464 candidates. 64,624 results are under investigation for verification, procedural investigation of candidates, Centre-based investigation and alleged examination misconduct.”
Oloyede also said the board, at the moment, conducts examination in nine foreign centres namely: Abidjan, Ivory Coast; Addis Ababa, Ethiopia; Buea, Cameroon; Cotonou, Republic of Benin; London, United Kingdom; Jeddah, Saudi Arabia; and Johannesburg, South Africa.
“The essence of this foreign component of the examination is to market our institutions to the outside world as well as ensuring that our universities reflect the universality of academic traditions, among others. The Board is, currently, fine-tuning arrangements for the conduct of the 2024 UTME in these foreign centres,” he said.
78% of 2024 UTME candidates scored below 200 – JAMB
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