Mixed Reactions Over Suspensded ASUU Strike

It was a mixture of joy and sadness yesterday by some parents and students who reacted to the suspension of the three months strike action by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU). While some viewed the development as “good to the educational growth of our children”, others see it as “part of the ploy to garner votes in the 2019 elections”.

A father of three, Joseph Ugwu, told the Guardian that though “I am happy that atleast the development will enable my two children return to school, they will however not do so until the elections are over”.

He explained that he was happy that at last, “there is an agreement to return to classes and continue learning”

“I hate the idea of truncating academic programmes. I do not know why our leaders find it difficult to do things without a strike. Now several months have been lost due to the strike and probably because of their election, they have now agreed to implement those things they were resisting before now. My hope and prayer is that whatever they have agreed upon should be sustained in the interest of the children”, he said

Ugwu, who faulted the timing for calling off the industrial action, said it would have been “better if they had announced the suspension and asked the students to return to school after the elections, especially that of the Presidency. I don’t know why they would ask them to start returning to school from yesterday when the election is less than one week. Ordinarily, the schools should be closing from next week to give room for elections”.

He continued: “I had expected them to call off this strike before now. Why did they allow it linger for this long? From what the National Chairman of the union is saying, it does not appear that they accepted the truce with their whole heart. If that should sustain, then they likely go back to strike after the elections and that will be bad for our children”.

Speaking, the leader of Umuada Dispora Association (UDA), in the southeast, Lady Chinyere Maxwell, expressed joy that the prolonged strike action had been called off. She however, advised members of the academic union to ensure that they run as much as possible to cover lost grounds.

Asked whether her children would return to school with the elections next week, she said: “Why not, I have one at the University of Nsukka. He will be returning to school this weekend. His return to school has nothing to do with the elections. He even registered in the school, so it will help him to vote.

“The way things are, I do not see anything that will prevent someone from going back to school. I don’t foresee crisis because Nigerians are interested in peace. They are interested in what to eat not how to make trouble. So I believe it is going to work out well”.

She stoutly rejected views that the strike action may have been called off to enable the students and their teachers participate in the elections, saying that, some of the affected persons live near their areas of registration.