The Education Rights Campaign (ERC) has applauded the decision of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) to reject the newly introduced Tertiary Institutions Staff Support Fund (TISSF) – the Federal Government’s loan scheme for university workers.

Describing the scheme as ‘dubious,’ the group insisted that its introduction is another effort by President Bola Tinubu’s administration to further plunge the education sector into crisis.

A statement by the organisation’s Deputy National Coordinator, Ogunjimi Isaac and National Mobilisation Officer, Adaramoye Michael, argued that the TISSF is not a genuine attempt to improve the welfare of university workers, but a cleverly packaged debt trap designed to shift responsibility from the government to individual workers.

According to the group, what is urgently needed is not a loan scheme, but the immediate implementation of fair wages, adequate funding for public universities, and improved working conditions.

It further maintained that the persistent introduction of anti-worker policies under the guise of reforms exposes the government’s lack of commitment to revitalising the education sector.

It emphasised that workers in tertiary institutions, just like their counterparts in other sectors, deserve living wages and decent conditions, not additional burdens that will sink them deeper into financial hardship.

The ERC also called on students, workers, and civil society organisations to unite in resisting the scheme, warning that its acceptance could set a dangerous precedent for other exploitative policies.

It stressed that the struggle for free and quality education is inseparable from the struggle for decent pay and conditions for those who teach and work in the system.

The statement read in part: “Like the student loan, the TSSIF is equally an attempt to turn education workers into debtors. If this is not opposed, the education sector would become a ‘debt sector,’ with both students and education workers plunged into lifelong debts. We urge all unions of tertiary institutions to reject this loan scheme.”

The group maintained that the TISSF is a retrogressive policy, dubiously dressed up as being progressive.

“The TISSF is an attempt by the government to evade its responsibility. Today, virtually all staff unions have long-standing agreements that have not been met by the government. All the agreements on the need to improve the welfare conditions of staff of tertiary institutions have been thrown into the dustbin by the government. This clearly shows that the driving motive behind the TSSIF is an attempt to completely neglect the welfare condition of tertiary education workers.”

The group called on President Bola Tinubu’s administration to accede to the demands of ASUU and other unions, including the implementation of various agreements, in order to avert a strike in public institutions.

It expressed concern that instead of meeting the demands of ASUU, the Nigerian government has continuously employed delay tactics.

“We call for a united struggle of all staff unions of tertiary institutions to put an end to the dubious TSSIF, and demand that it be replaced with a better pay package for education workers.

“This must also include demands for significant improvement in the living and working conditions of staff, as well as adequate funding of public education by the government at all levels.