Lecturing goes beyond teaching students in classrooms- Otitioju

After the Academic Staff Union of Universities ASUU called off its eight months old, it appears there’s another storm brewing between them and the federal government over in complete payments of salaries.

Members of the Union have warned the federal government against fresh crisis in the universities that will surpass the previous ones.

Speaking at a media parley in Ilorin, the former ASU chairman of the university and council member of the Union, Professor Rasheed Adeoye and Secretary of the Union in the University, Dr Olatunji Abdulganiyu described half salaries paid by the government unacceptable, saying it will be resisted.

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Speaking on Journalists’ Hangout, Veteran Journalist, Babajide Kolade-Otitoju said in his view, he does think ASUU wants to embark on a fresh strike.

He noted that the body language of the ASUU leadership is very clear “ASUU does not want a strike, a strike at this time will be very unpopular and very unconscionable”.

He stated that ASUU is attempting to persuade those in government that what they are doing is wrong, particularly the minister of labor, Chris Ngige, who looks to be the champion of “let them not pay ASUU full salary.”

In the academic sector, you are going to be called for examination when you have completed.

According to Mr Otitoju, courses left untouched before the commencement of strike have to be completed before a new semester can commence.

Lecturers know they have to make up for lost time before students can take exams. It therefore means that they have to work to cover the period they were on strike.

“During the period of strike, some lecturers were still involved in other things.

“Some of them were supervising post graduate students, doctoral students, some were attending conferences and so on.

“Universities as centres of excellence are not places where the only thing that academics do is simply to teach

“It’s illiterate to think that all that lecturers do it simply to teach. They are involved in research, writing papers to be published in foreign journals and so on.

“You don’t become a professor by just instructing students in a classroom. It is predicated on your contribution to the corpus of knowledge through the papers you write and have published in international journals, thus it makes sense to pay them.

Speaking further, Associate Editor, The Nation, Mr Adekunle Yusuf said when people blame the University lecturers that they are insensitive, the question should rather be who has the interest of students at heart between ASUU and the federal government.

ASUU decided to go back to the classrooms because it didn’t want to portray the Union as Lawless.

“Many lecturers went back to the classroom based on court pronouncement but on empty stomachs.

“They wanted the world to see them as law abiding, but since that time, what has the government done”, Mr Yusuf said.

The smallest part of the work of an academic is teaching, it goes beyond that, there is research and community service which is long term. It is the teaching aspect that goes on holiday, he added.

Mr Yusuf stated further that the labour minister, Dr Chris Ngige should not have the final say on ASUU matters as the lecturers deserve to be paid full salaries so that there can be peace.