We should not celebrate this achievement of Mr. President BAT for now, by Engr. Yekini Nureni
Well, the signing of the bill is a welcome idea but the president shouldn’t have rush into action like this…
1. He should have interogate reasons while outgone president refused to sign the Bill before he left office.
2. Stakeholders in education to include (University, Polytechnic and College of Education) should have been well consulted and duly involved.
3) I don’t think, the Bill passed Public hearing at all. I could recollect that the proposal was presented to ASUU sometimes during it strike by FG but was rejected.
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The Bill is faults and may not achieve the purpose for which it was enacted i e for children of poor Nigeria masses to get access to the higher education in Nigeria on the following grounds:
1. *The processes through which the prospective applicants will follow to access the funds are cumbersome and will enhance corruption..*
a) Majority of the parents even the Chief Lecturers (Polytechnics and Colleges of Education), Professors (University) and others with anual salary of even above 2 million naira cannot send their children to public Universities, Polytechnics, or Colleges of Education conveniently in this current Nigeria of ours.
N:B. Please check out the school fees, accomodation and other expenses for public higher institution in Nigeria.
b) It will be a very great obstacle for some applicants to get the gurantor(s) from the listed conditions.
2.) The composition of the board is completely fault on the following grounds.
a) While should the Chairman of the board be a retired Vice Chancellor of university. What of retired Rector and Provost of Polytechnic and Colleges of Education..
b) What is NLC looking for in the board composition.. ASUP, ASUU, and COEASU are affiliate of NLC.
c) Representative of ASUP and COEASU are left out of the board composition.. why?
See CAP 17-18 of the Bill.
We shouldn’t be celebrating this achievement of Mr. President BAT, and in my own opinion the act should be challenge by poor masses and other relevant stakeholders in education sector before it is gazeted.
Thank you..
Engr. YEKINI NURENI, a unionist, writes from Lagos, Nigeria
