The protest which started on Monday (18th May 2020), scheduled for one week, had drawn engagement using the following hash tags #NoStudyAllowanceNoOnlineClasses #SlashShoolfeesby50%.
Engaging many Nigerian Student's, NANS Zone D releases today's news letter:
It Reads;
NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF NIGERIAN STUDENTS (NANS) ZONE D (SOUTH WEST)
19 - 05 - 2020
Students Deserve Free and Qualitative Education; It is Our Right and We Will Fight For It
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It is public knowledge that successive government in the country have failed to massively fund education; this is evident in the indiscriminate manner they allocate meagre amount to the educational sector which falls below the 26% UNESCO standard. It is on record that the government is working tirelessly to ensure that education is taken away from the reach of the plebeians which negates the social contract freely entered into with the people by those that are at the helm of affairs. Or, how best can one explain a situation whereby the government would fail to prepare our higher institutions of learning and the society at large for virtual learning but would order for the commencement of such without provisions being made to achieve such dream?
It is so embarrassing that poor funding constitutes a serious challenge to higher institutions of learning in the country with the government paying little or no attention to the educational sector to the extent that a meagre #48bn of the total budget was allocated to the sector as capital expenditure. Today, it is on record that 80% of our higher institutions of learning does not have Public Address Systems, Interactive Boards, etc. while many are battling with epileptic or non-existing internet services, library of no or less automation, outdated library resources. Many institutions are lagging due to no or previous preparation for virtual learning as a result of the poor funding of the educational sector. In all, the state of Nigerian higher institutions can best be imagined than seen, hence, our agitation for an improved and a well-funded educational sector.
Considering the present reality on ground, it can better be said that we are sitting on a keg of gunpowder and the explosion can be very devastating and highly consuming because, academically and infrastructure-wise, our higher institutions of learning are lagging behind thereby subjecting us to ridicule amongst the comity of Nations.
As an association, we find it painful that managements of higher institutions in the country are colluding with the Federal Government in putting the brunt of the ineptitude, insincerity and inefficiency in the proper funding of the educational sector on the students. This, in all sincerity is condemnable because, one does not need a soothsayer to be told that you cannot build something on nothing and that you cannot give what you don't have. Virtual learning is great, in fact, we have been demanding for it since the 14th of April, 2020 but, the government in their characteristic manner does not want to take responsibility by turning deaf ears to our demands.
Though, the Courts have held that the provisions of Chapter 2 of the Constitution are not enforceable in law as they are mere aspirations of government and not legal rights, we find it disturbing that 39 years after promulgation, these aspirations have not been realized. In fact, secondary school education that was free in some parts of the country between 1979 and 1983 is no longer free in many parts of the country.
Despite the fact that the right to education is non-negotiable and imprescriptible, members of the ruling class have ensured that education is made expensive and taken out of the reach of the poor denying them the great opportunity education can open for them and the society at large.
It must be made known that we are not looking for free things, our demand is that there must be no child in the country that will not go to school because he/she is poor which is what our government policies are aimed at today and this can only be achieved when the government start using State’s resources to educate the Nigerian child. For the sake of emphasis, it need be made known that even in developed economies where they charge high tuition or can sustain themselves, governments do not joke with financial support to them. For instance, in 2015, the government disbursed £11.1bn to Universities in the United Kingdom, which it increased to £12.1bn in 2016. Unfortunately, reverse is the case here in Nigeria as government continually establish new higher institutions when the existing ones are not being funded and this is the narrative we aim to change.
No doubt, the right to education has some key elements that we need to dilate on especially at higher level. Some 17 years ago, the mass of Nigerian students under the aegis of this noble Association which is the umbrella body of all Nigerian students both home and in the disapora launched a campaign for academic reforms called ACAREF. The campaign embodied some demands which includes the democratization of authorities within tertiary institutions; the proper representation of students in all the facets of administration of tertiary education system particularly the Governing Council and the Senate of each tertiary institution; students access to their examination scripts; the provision of adequate facilities (halls of residence, lecture theatres, libraries, recreational and sports facilities, transportation facilities, etc.) in tertiary institutions; the payment of bursary to every student and the assurance of independent students’ unionism in each of the tertiary institutions and across them without undue interference by their management.
However, it is a collective insult on all of us as students that 17 years after the launch of this campaign, none of these demands has been met.
As an association, we charge the Federal Government to take its place by performing the Constitutional obligations expected of her. We also call on all Nigerian student, workers and the entire Nigerian people to join the social media struggle again tomorrow from 10am to 12noon as we trend the hashtag #NoStudyAllowanceNoOnlineClass
#SlashSchoolFeesby50% for the purpose of calling on the Federal Government to acede to our demands as communicated in the NANS statement of 13th of May, 2020.
These demands are;
- Provision of Study Allowance of no less than #100,000 for all Nigerian students.
- Special provision to get decent laptop across to students.
- ASUP, COEASU and ASUU must be consulted on school materials necessary to deliver successful online lectures.
- Given the truncation of the economic lives of our parents due to the Covid-19 lockdown, we forthwith demand that fees across tertiary institutions be slashed by 50%
Follow and tweet @nanszoned19
Kowe Odunayo Amos
Coordinator, NANS Zone D.
08060337337
Kazeem Olalekan Israel
PRO, NANS Zone D.
08108567925
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