Solution To The Protracted ASUU Strike

By Dan Kojie

My Solution to the Protracted ASUU/ASUUP and Federal Government disagreements that have continued to ruin the lives of students, lecturers, parents, the economy and country in general.

No nation thrives beyond the level of its higher education. In times past, Nigeria was a leader in Africa in terms of education. Today, the reality is shameful. We have not done well in this regard as we lose billions annually as our children flock to foreign lands in search of quality education.

Nigeria cannot develop as long as we don’t get it right. Here are snippets of my plan:

Firstly, the government must hands off education for the experts to manage. We must unbundle archaic legislations that have stifled progress in our higher education industry.

1. Public higher institutions should be run on a public-private partnership arrangement in form of a joint venture with minimal stakes by the Federal government.
2. Alumni of these institutions, parents and the general public should be shareholders. At the end of every financial year, dividends should be declared for investors who as well, would bear the losses.
3. The schools should be managed by experienced and specialized educational consortiums. Appointment of VCs, Academics and other administrators to be strictly on business terms devoid of ethno-religious sentiments.
4. All IGR from admissions, part time, Distance learning, Post graduate and other educational qualification programmes as well as consultancy services, must be properly remitted and managed, and the consortium accountable for every penny.
5. These institutions must be run as full service driven businesses, not a government civil service. Link up with industries, source for research funds and be more influential in the Nigerian and African sub-regional business, scientific and other developmental initiatives.
6. The consortium will then find ways leverage technology to digitize their programmes to reach students from all over the world at affordable rates, delivering accredited degree and certificate qualifications to all.

The above is the system adopted by most of the world’s top tier institutions and they have now grown their endowment funds to hundreds of billions of Dollars.

The fees are bound to increase certainly but they are to be moderated so as not to be above the reach of the average civil servant. All ghost workers are to be eliminated, the staff strength streamlined through lean reorganization to strategically position them to meet 21st century ideals.

(c) Dan Kojie 2022