To avoid a clash between the union and the government, the Colleges of Education Academic Staff Union has urged Kwara State Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq to solve the challenges ailing the state's three colleges of education.
Olusegun Lana, COEASU's National Vice President and Southwest Zonal Coordinator, said this in a statement released on Thursday following the union's meeting with the state administration.
The union's South-West coordinator said the Kwara State Government's College of Education, Ilorin; College of Education, Oro; and College of Education (Technical), Lafiagi are all dealing with issues that require the Governor's immediate intervention to avoid industrial action that could disrupt students' studies.
He claimed that while the union had the ability to ground the colleagues through strike action, it had chosen the way of dialogue because teachers were the most important contributors to the achievement of long-term development goals and development in any country.
The union asked for an increase in subventions to colleagues, legislation supporting a 65-year retirement age for college instructors, road reconstruction leading to campuses and intra-famous routes, and full implementation of the new compensation scale structure for lecturers.
"The worrying status of the roads leading to each of the colleagues and within the campuses should not be too much for the government to address," the statement continued. The total distance between the three institutions' on-campus roads is less than 6 kilometers. The accreditation of colleges and the working/studying conditions of staff and students will both benefit from the repair of these roads.
We refuse to believe the information that the administration is considering reducing college funding. Given our affable Governor's kindness and God-fearing demeanor, we dismiss this as a rumor from the pits of hell, as there is no justification for it given the current economic circumstances. We seek an increase in the amount of money given to colleges as a subsidy.
"The 65-year retirement age policy for lecturers at educational institutions is a legal requirement. Its implementation in the state must be in accordance with the appropriate Federal Act, which mandates that teachers in Nigerian colleges of education retire at the age of 65, regardless of the duration of service. While we applaud the Kwara State Government for temporarily adopting the 65-year retirement age, we urge Mr. Governor to ensure that the policy is properly enacted and gazetted as soon as possible."
