.jpeg)
BY: News Peddlers
PARENTS, through the National Parent Teacher Association of Nigeria, NAPTAN, have stated that they only expect reports that will end the ongoing strike by members of the Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, as the union's National Executive Council, NEC, meets to decide on the industrial action.
In an interview with the Vanguard Saturday, Alhaji Haruna Danjuma, National President of NAPTAN, expressed hope that the meeting would result in a resolution of the dispute between the union and the government.
This is despite the fact that the National President of the National Association of Nigerian Students, NANS, Comrade Sunday Asefon, has stated that if lecturers were truly fighting for students, they should call a stop to the strike.
"Our children have been holed up at home for far too long. That does not make us happy as parents. My expectation, and that of other parents, is that the strike be called off and that the union and the government meet to iron things out and make progress.
"This is not the time to assign blame; rather, it is time to figure out how to break through this stalemate." "We need to reopen our public universities," Danjuma said.
Danjuma went on to say that he was optimistic about the outcome because a number of well-meaning Nigerians and opinion leaders had stepped forward.
According to Asefon, the issue of withheld salaries should not prevent the union from calling off the strike.
"We anticipate that the strike will be called off." They should reconsider. Enough is enough if they are truly fighting for students' welfare and student-related issues. Allow them to call off the strike.
"Moreover, the issue of their unpaid salaries should not prevent them from calling off the strike." That can be worked out when they return to work. This isn't the first time the government has threatened to implement "no work, no pay," but it has always paid off in the end. "This is about the future of Nigerian students," he added.
Meanwhile, the union's national leadership began meeting on Sunday evening, and this would be followed by the NEC, which would collate views from across the union's branches nationwide.
The union's stance is expected to be made public early this morning.
The union has been on strike since February 14 of this year, while other non-academic staff unions that went on strike after them have suspended their own actions.
(VANGUARD)