The Committee of Pro-Chancellors of Universities on Thursday announced plans to organise a major international seminar to enhance funding and running of the university system in Nigeria.<\/p>\n
The Chairman of the Committee, Dr Wale Babalakin, disclosed this in a chat with newsmen in Abuja.<\/p>\n
It was at the end of a meeting of the Implementation Monitoring Committee (IMC) of the 2009 agreement between the Federal Government and university unions.<\/p>\n
He expressed optimism that the seminar would go a long way in upgrading the efficiency and good corporate ethics of university administrators.<\/p>\n
“The committee of pro-chancellors which I have chaired for the last three years is organising a major international seminar on the funding of university education and the running of the system.<\/p>\n
“After this, we will see that there is a more determined effort to ensure that universities are run properly and as first class institutions.,\u2019\u2019 he said.<\/p>\n
Babalakin urged the university administrators to consider their appointment as a call to service in a sector critical to national development and not as a political appointment.<\/p>\n
He advised the university administrators to comply strictly with the Acts of Parliament establishing universities to encourage genuine sponsorship of educational progrmmes in the institutions.<\/p>\n
“University administration is not a political appointment and should not be at all. It should be seen as a call for national service.<\/p>\n
“Once you do that, you will find more people who are genuinely interested in furthering education in helm of affairs<\/p>\n
“The system should stop classifying university pro-chancellors as political appointees,\u2019\u2019 he stressed.<\/p>\n
Earlier, the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Education, Sen. Uche Chukwumerije, commended the effort of the IMC which comprises Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) and the Committee of Vice Chancellors.<\/p>\n
Chukwumerije said that the effort of the Babalakin-led IMC was instrumental to the stability being enjoyed in the Nigerian university in recent times.<\/p>\n
“The IMC has done very well and has really helped to bring peace and stability to the system. We are committed to resolving these issues without confrontation.<\/p>\n
“The most thorny for IMC now is the issue of earned academic allowances and this is the main issue that we are going to give priority now,” he said.<\/p>\n
The Secretary General, Committee of Vice Chancellors, Prof. Michael Faborode also hailed the contribution of the IMC to the ongoing efforts to resolve the ASUU\/FG disagreement.<\/p>\n
“I think IMC has been very useful and very instrumental in the current stability that we are witnessing in the university system.<\/p>\n
“One outstanding issue that we are tackling today is the issue of earned allowances because we do not want the universities to be restive again.<\/p>\n
“This stability that we\u2019ve had for some time, we want to preserve it so that we can begin to make progress on the welfare of our tertiary education, \u2018\u2019 he said.<\/p>\n
The National President, Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), Dr Nasir Fagge, however, expressed worry that IMC submission on earned academic allowances was yet to reach the National Assembly.<\/p>\n
He promised that ASUU would sustain discussion with the National Assembly toward ensuring that funds were made available to take care of the earned academic allowances.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The Committee of Pro-Chancellors of Universities on Thursday announced plans to organise a major international seminar to enhance funding and running of the university system in Nigeria. The Chairman of…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":9287,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-9284","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"yoast_head":"\n