ASUU STRIKE: Why OAU needs to review academic calendar despite partial compliance- Students

Alfred Olufemi

Despite partial compliance to the four-week old nation-wide strike declared by the Academic Staff Union of universities (ASUU), students have clamoured for a review of the Obafemi Awolowo University's academic calendar.

The union of lecturers declared an indefinite strike action on November 4 over non-implementation of previous agreements by the federal government and demand for increased university funding.

OAU KILONSHELE reported the controversy in OAU as lecturers, who are ASUU members, complied with the industrial action, while those under the aegis of Congress of Nigerian Universities' Academics (CONUA), a parallel union of ASUU, are against.

"Our members are not under ASUU so they can't be part of the strike. We were not approached on the issue and cannot be part of the strike. Our members still respect statutory duties," CONUA chairman, Niyi Sumonu, told this media outfit.

While academic activities have been put on hold in some departments like Botany, Zoology, Chemical engineering; CONUA lecturers in other departments have  been attending classes.

Although the school management has feigned ignorance of the nation-wide strike, which has sent many Nigerian students in various universities back home, students have complained about how there has been no uniformity in the decision of the warring unions.

"Wish to assure all students that the University Academic Calendar for the 2017/2018 Academic Session is very much on course. There are no plans to compel students to vacate the campus until the end of year holidays and all members of the University community must be unanimous in the resolution to ensure that the Calendar remains
sacrosanct."

"The University Management therefore enjoins all students and staff to continue theit normal activities in line with the University's approved guidelines," the Registrar noted.

Speaking with our correspondent, students have lamented that lecturers have not been able to cover up to 50 percent of the semester workloads with less than 20 days to the end of lectures.

According to the school calendar, the twelve weeks of lectures span from October 4 till December 21.

Ogunlowo Samiah, a Part 3 student of Botany told our reporter that for four weeks out of the twelve weeks scheduled for lectures, students in her department have been idle because none of the lecturers attended classes fixed.

Another student, Durojaiye Ganiyu of chemical engineering department, asserted that there's no way the students can meet up with the workload without an extension in the school timetable.

Okeya Sunday, from English Department stated that the attendance of lecturers in his department have not been regular and that several lecturers have given assignments without covering a reasonable length of the topics in the syllabuses.

"They'll want to rush us but it can't work this time around. We need more weeks added," He insisted

In a telephone conversation with our reporter on Friday, the ASUU branch chairman in OAU, Adeola Egbedokun asserted that upon the suspension of strike, ASUU lecturers are going to follow the stipulated weeks meant for lectures  not "rush" lectures to suit the university calendar.

"We've not called-off the strike but if we eventually do, our members will resume academic activities from where they stopped."

"According to the university provision, there are certain number of weeks that should be for lectures and nothing we stop them from meeting up with that. Nobody can rush us."

Meanwhile, reliable sources disclosed that in the university's senate meeting held on Thursday, a review of the academic calendar was deliberated upon.

However, when contacted via telephone on Saturday, the university spokesperson, Abiodun Olanrewaju, promised to put a call through to the reporter after the intent of calling was made known but failed to call or respond to text messages sent afterwards.

"We want to use this medium to reassure the student that the present University academic calendar is on course and remains sacrosanct," He stated in a report Published on Tribune newpaper on Saturday.