Varsity students recount effects of strike on learning

The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) and the Federal Government are always at loggerheads over issues of funding, allowances and better working condition among other demands. 

Almost every year, the parties keep going back and forth in honouring the agreement and other sundry issues. But in all of this, students are at the receiving end.

Some undergraduates that spoke with The Guardian, affirmed that industrial dispute does not only affect quality teaching and learning as well as academic calendar, but also the mental and moral wellbeing of students.

They appealed to both government and ASUU to find a way of eradicating strike from the school system, in the interest of students and the wellbeing of the nation.

A student of Ladoke Akintola University of Technology (LAUTECH), who identified himself as Dotun, said strikes make students wave their minds off education and start thinking of other positive or negative means of survival.

“I know students who commit a lot of atrocities during the period of the strike. They engage in all manner of immoral acts while hoping the strike will soon end.”

Bello Ishiaq also from LAUTECH said; “The constant strike that happens in this university makes it very hard for us to predict when we will likely graduate. Now, the lecturers are even rushing us. We have two sessions in about a year and this makes it very hard for students that are not bright academically to catch up. The government should try as much as possible to ensure that ASUU demands are met so there will be no more strike in our universities.”

Shola Ameh from the University of Benin (UNIBEN), Benin City, said, “ I am studying Early Childhood Education and teaching practice is required, strikes slow down the pace of our academic pursuit. It is usually very terrible. I wish the government can do something to completely eradicate this from the system so that we will go through all the required process before graduating.”

But for Moyin Olayiwola of Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), “since I resumed, we have not had any strike in the university. I hope it continues this way because strikes in OAU always take time to end and for lecturers to get back to work.”

Godwin Ebube from the University of Uyo, Akwa Ibom, said, “For me, it didn’t really affect me, because I enjoyed the holiday that strike brings until it eventually gets boring. But in terms of academics, the strike has made us rush school activities and also added more workload to students. The second-semester break that is normally one month and some weeks is now two weeks. We literally had to rush which is not really the best for us, as far as quality teaching and learning is concerned.”