ASUU strike shouldn’t deter varsities from teaching, says VC

Vice-Chancellor, University of Abuja, Prof Abdul- Rasheed Na’Allah, has urged institutions in the country to embrace the virtual classroom system, stressing that strikes by lecturers should not deter universities from carrying out their duties.

Speaking against the backdrop of incessant strike actions by varsity teachers, the VC said members of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) have been on strike since March, this year, over unresolved issues.

Na’Allah said though the current strike is real and effective, universities must continue to run.

According to him, the university’s integrated portal, which houses students’ details was used to develop a virtual classroom system where students have been receiving lectures since the strike began.

He said: “ASUU strike does not mean school activities should not continue. What we did was to look for adjunct staff, who are part-time and are not members of ASUU, and we carried them along while developing the virtual classroom.

“The fact is that the academic staff are on strike and they are negotiating with government and we are hopeful that the issues would be resolved soon but the university has continued to forge ahead and create great things and one of the things we have created is the virtual classroom system. I am very proud of it. If all students stay at home, we can teach all our courses virtually because we have that capacity.

“It will be wrong for anybody to criticise the schools for not shutting activities because we at the university are not dead. The VC explained that it was easy for the adjunct staff to teach and connect to students on the virtual classroom platform, adding that about 5000 students have been receiving lectures regularly in different areas.

Na’allah, who disclosed that 14,307 certificates in different programmes from 1995 were ready for collection urged all graduates of the institution yet to collect their certificates to promptly do so.

According to him, contrary to insinuations, the university had all its programmes accredited by the National Universities Commission (NUC).

“Last year, we presented 25 programmes for accreditation, and with exception of issues we have with Computer Science, all of them were given full accreditation by the NUC. Whatever we develop, we do that with an eye for the future. We will ensure that issue of accreditation does not resurface again in the future”. he added.