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FG and ASUU clash over 2021 agreement

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The Academic Staff Union of Universities on Thursday knocked the Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, over claims that the government never signed any agreements with the union.

Alausa made the clarification on Thursday while addressing journalists in Abuja.

According to him, the documents often cited by ASUU as binding agreements were never signed, but only proposals presented during negotiations.

He said the administration of President Bola Tinubu was, however, committed to resolving lingering issues with the university lecturers’ union.

Earlier this year, the Tinubu administration released N50bn to settle earned academic allowances owed to university lecturers and staff.

However, ASUU has consistently demanded clear commitments on improved salaries, conditions of service, university funding, autonomy, and a review of laws governing the National Universities Commission and the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board.

Alausa said, “The government side met today (Thursday) at the highest level. I, Minister of State for Education, Minister for Labour and Productivity were all at the meeting. We had the Solicitor General of the Federation.

“The 2021 agreement was not executed by the government. So, I need to be honest and truthful to Nigeria. ASUU might have an impression that they have an agreement with government.

“There was no signed agreement with government. But ASUU they’re good people. Polytechnic, College of Education, non-academic staff union, they’re all good people.

“But we now have a responsive government that is being led by President Tinubu and you know this president, once he makes his promises, he fulfills every single promise that is made and he has mandated us to do the same. We’ll have a clean agreement, agreement that is actionable, where every content is actionable, implementable in a sustainable manner.”

Alausa added, “As I told you, we are going to do this thing once and for all. Previous agreements that had been done with ASUU by the government, the Ministry of Justice was not involved. We want this to be done in a constitutional manner; that every single agreement that we reach with them will be within the context of our constitution.

“The proposal that ASUU has given us, we went line-by-line to discuss, deliberate what the government can afford, what is within the constitutional purview of the federal government. We’ve reviewed all those proposals that he gave to us, line by line.

“We’ve decided on a counter-proposal to them. We now close by setting up a high-level technical team to clean up our proposal, come with a clean document. And that technical team is being chaired by the Permanent Secretary of Education, with the following membership.

“The Solicitor General of the Federation and the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Justice, the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Labour and Productivity, the Chairman of the Salary and Wages Commission, the Executive Secretary of the National University Commission, the Executive Secretary of the TEC Fund, and the Director General of the Budget Office is also part of the seven-member technical team while the Director of the University of Education will be the secretary. We’ve mandated them to come back to us with a clean report.

“We would review this, and now once we finalise our own proposal to ASUU, we’ll give that proposal, a counter-proposal to the Yayale Ahmed Committee to take to ASUU and then ASUU would talk and deliberate, and we’ll come back to us. We will work as seriously, as quickly, and as fast as possible to get an agreement with ASUU But let me clear this point of correction out.

“The Solicitor General looked into the agreement. The government has never signed any agreement with ASUU. This was a draft agreement.

However, ASUU president, Prof. Chris Piwuna, noted that the minister’s claim showed that the government was still very poor at keeping records.

“The government is very poor at keeping records. Sometimes, you wonder if there is a proper handover from one officer to another,” Piwuna said.

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Education

PHOTOS: 200-level Niger State varsity d!es after collapsing in her off-campus residence

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A 200 level student of Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida University (IBBU), Lapai, Niger State, has d!ed after collapsing in her off-campus lodge.

The deceased, identified as Adamu Fatima Muhammad, with matriculation number U23/FNS/BCH/1093, was a student of the Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Natural Sciences.

Eye Witnesses said Fatima suddenly fell ill at her residence outside the university campus in Lapai and was rushed to the General Hospital, Lapai, where she was later confirmed d3ad.

According to the source, the deceased had earlier lost both parents and was living with her guardian in Suleja, Niger State, alongside her only surviving brother.

“She was a humble and dedicated student. Her passing is a tragedy that has thrown the entire university community into mourning,” the source said.

Fatima was buried in Lapai on Monday according to Islamic rites.

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PHOTOS: School collapse in Indonesia leaves three de@d, 38 missing

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At least three students have been k!lled and dozens are missing following the collapse of an Islamic boarding school in Indonesia’s East Java province, authorities have said.

National Search and Rescue Agency head Mohammad Syafii said as of 12.30pm (0530 GMT) on Tuesday, “the number of victims is 102 people, consisting of 99 survivors, 3 deaths”.

Rescuers are searching for 38 people believed to be trapped under the rubble following the building collapse, the National Agency for Disaster Management said.

Eleven people have been rescued from the rubble, and 91 others managed to escape, the disaster management agency said.

Seventy-seven victims were taken to several hospitals in the area for treatment for their injuries, according to the agency.

“Efforts to assess the site, monitor the remaining building structure, and prepare evacuation routes for victims are the primary focus of the teams on the ground,” the agency said in a statement on social media.

The agency added that the incident called attention to the need for the “strict implementation of construction safety standards”.

“The public and managers of multistorey buildings are urged to ensure technical supervision during construction to prevent similar occurrences in the future,” it said.

Indonesia’s National Search and Rescue Agency, a separate body, had earlier reported that “provisional data” indicated that 100 students were caught up in the collapse, of whom all but one had been located alive.

Al-Khoziny Islamic Boarding School, in Sidoarjo, East Java, collapsed at about 3pm on Monday as students were gathering for afternoon prayers.

Authorities say the school’s foundation pillars gave way as crews were concreting the fourth floor of the building, trapping dozens of people under debris.

The incident is the second building collapse in Indonesia in less than a month.

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Education

NELFUND closes 2024/2025 loan portal, sets timeline for next application

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The Nigerian Education Loan Fund said the application portal for the 2024/2025 academic session will officially close on Tuesday.

The Managing Director of NELFUND, Akintunde Sawyerr disclosed this at a news conference in Abuja on Monday.

Sawyerr said this was to allow the Fund to conclude processing of pending applications and upkeep payments.

He also announced timelines for the 2025/2026 academic cycle, in line with its mandate to expand access to higher education through interest-free student loans.

According to him, the loan portal will reopen in the second week of October for fresh applications and remain open until January 2026.

”NELFUND remains committed to removing financial barriers for students and working with institutions to ensure that no eligible student is left behind.

“These timelines provide clarity for students, parents, and institutions to plan and participate fully in the process,” Sawyerr said.

The managing director directed institutions to update their students’ records on the Student Verification System to enable applicants access the scheme.

He added that all unverified applications for 2024/2025 would be automatically cancelled after Oct. 8, noting that students affected would be required to reapply under the new session.

He warned that institutions that failed to verify students’ records risk being publicly listed for non-compliance.

On upkeep stipends, Sawyerr explained that the payment for the 2024/2025 session would continue until November, adding that students were expected to reapply for 2025/2026 to continue receiving payments.

On repayment terms, he reiterated that the scheme remained interest-free while repayment would begin two years after completion of the National Youth Service Corps, with employers mandated to deduct 10 per cent of beneficiaries’ salaries.

He further expressed concern over arbitrary hikes in tuition and ancillary fees by some institutions, noting that a committee set up by the Minister of Education is working with regulators to harmonise and standardise fee structures across institutions.

Responding to concerns about upkeep stipends, he said the current ₦20,000 monthly allowance would not be increased immediately.

Sawyerr said an ongoing review of cost-of-living indices across different regions could however lead to weighted adjustments in future.

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