COVID-19 2ND WAVE: UNILORIN begins online lectures, as ASUU insists on alternative learning techniques

The University of Ilorin has commenced online lectures for students of the institution.

Kunle Akogun, Director of Corporate Affairs of the institution, announced this in a statement in Ilorin on Monday.

The statement urged students to disregard the information going viral on social media that the arrangement had been put off.

“Management wishes to assure all our students that we are fully committed to covering all lost grounds as a result of the long break occasioned by the Covid-19.

“All necessary arrangements have been put in place to ensure hitch free online classes pending the time when it will be safe to conduct normal physical lectures,” he stated.

Recall that the institution announced recently that academic activities will commence via virtual learning on January 11, 2021.

Meanwhile, the Academic Staff Union of Universities, on Tuesday, insisted that Nigerian universities in the country are not ready to re-open at the moment.

The Union said it finds it difficult to return to classes in the middle of a second wave of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Recall that the National Universities Commission (NUC) had earlier directed the lecturers to go back to classes on January 18, 2021.

But ASUU is demanding that the Nigerian Government should review the decision owing to the increase in COVID-19 cases around the country.

“Our concern is rooted in the safety of our members,” ASUU’s National President, Biodun Ogunyemi, told Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily on Tuesday.

“What happens to congested hostels, crowded classrooms? What flexible arrangements are in place? It is a situation of emergency. I’m not sure the Universities can cope,” he said.

When asked if e-learning was an option for universities, the ASUU President said the necessary infrastructure was not in place.

“We are aware that some universities are putting measures in place, with alternative learning models,” he said, adding “some are even trying blended classes, virtual and physical.

“But these efforts are limited. They get to a point they can’t go further.

“ASUU has been talking about revitalisation since 2012. These are some of the areas where the assistance would have helped. Universities need huge funds to do this.

“People are saying start virtual classes, but more than 60 percent of our students will run into trouble – they can’t afford data or smartphones.”

ASUU had on Wednesday December 23, 2020 called off its ten-month-old industrial action.

The prolonged strike was due to Federal Government’s delay in meeting the agreements reached with the union.

ASUU To Call Off Strike As FG Exempts Union From IPPIS, Offers N65bn To Varsities

The Federal Government on Friday agreed to exempt the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) from the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System pending when the university lecturers will complete the development of its own payment platform- the University Transparency and Accountability Solution (UTAS).

The government also agreed to ASUU’s demand to pay their members’ salary arrears from February to June through the old salary payment platform – the Government Integrated Financial and Management Information System.

After weeks of negotiations and foot – dragging, the government offered to raise the Earned Academic Allowances to university staff from N30bn to N35bn and the revitalisation fund from N20bn to N25bn.

Cumulatively, the government, through the Accountant – General of the Federation, offered the lectures N65 billion to call off their eight – month old strike.

The government also shifted grounds on a number of issues, including the insistence that all the academic staff of the federal universities must be paid through the IPPIS platform.

Minister of Labour and Employment, Chris Ngige, who read out the communique at the end of a seven-hour negotiation with ASUU members in Abuja, the funds will be shared by all the registered Trade Unions in the universities after providing necessary evidence of having earned the allowance.

“Responding to the demand for immediate payment of 50% of the initial amount allotted for the purpose (revitalisation) which translates to N110 billion, the FG stated that this is not possible because of paucity of funds.

“The government however, offered to pay N25 billion based on the Memorandum of Action (MoA) of 7th February, 2019 signed with ASUU or in the alternative, urged ASUU to accept N30 billion with the reduction in the earlier Earned Allowances.

Between the revitalisation and earned allowances, the FG has offered a cumulative sum of N65 billion.

“The Accountant – General of the Federation offered to immediately release N40 billion or in the alternative N35 billion to be shared by all the registered Trade Unions in the universities after providing the necessary evidence of having earned the allowance.

“The FG reiterated that her offer of N40 billion or 35 billion whichever is accepted by ASUU was for all the universities unions: ASUU had proposed that N40 billion be paid immediately for all unions ,” the communique said.

The breakthrough in negotiations is expected to end the eight-month strike embarked on by the university lecturers.

Before the new offer by government, ASUU had demanded N110 billion for revitalisation which should be paid in tranches.
The union also told the government that the N30 billion EAA was for only ASUU members, a position the government rejected, citing lack of funds to meet ASUU’s financial demands.

On his part, ASUU president, Prof. Biodun Ogunyemi said that the union has received the new proposals by the federal government and that it will go and consult with it’s organs before taking a position.

“I don’t really have much to say as the minister had said it all. Government has given us offers and we have promised to go back to our organs to brief them and then come back to government. We acknowledge that progress has been made,” he said.
Ogunyemi said that ASUU will need till Friday next week to meet with its organs before reverting to government.

The meeting was therefore adjourned till next Friday.

The Nation

JAMB to meet Universities today, fix new 2020 admissions’ date

Friday Olokor, Abuja

The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board, on Sunday, said it was considering a new date for the commencement of the 2020 university admission process.

It added that it had scheduled a meeting with all the tertiary institutions in the country for today (Monday) on the issue.

JAMB said the meeting would look at the possibility of ensuring that the institutions either delayed or prolonged their screening to accommodate candidates, who would be taking their exit examinations to be conducted by agencies, including the West African Examinations Council, the National Examinations Council, and National Business and Technical Examinations Board.

The board had issued a guideline for all tertiary institutions to begin their admission with effect from August 20.

The spokesperson for JAMB, Dr Fabian Benjamin, in a weekly bulletin on Sunday, said the board desired that all candidates, who had taken its Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination, be given equal opportunity to compete for the available openings.

He said, “This is the reason for its call for another meeting with all the institutions with a view to amending the earlier and mutually-agreed date for the conduct of post-UTME screening and other processes.

“It is in view of this that the board is working to pre-empt any unpalatable situation that may arise if institutions conduct their admissions without accommodating the vast number of candidates that are about to take their O’level examinations.

“Consequently, the board will, at the meeting, be looking at the possibility of ensuring that the various institutions either delay or prolong their screening to accommodate candidates, who will be taking the 2020 O’level examinations to be conducted by WAEC, NECO, NABTEB, etc.”