BY FRANCIS EZEM

Expectations by stakeholders in Nigeria’s educational sector that the three-week old strike embarked upon by university teachers would be called off were dashed as the Federal Government and the striking Academic Staff Union of Universities ASUU officials’ meeting yesterday ended in a deadlock once again.

Recall that the Federal Government represented by Minister of Education, Adamu Adamu, had met with the striking university teachers for the third time aimed at ending the strike, which began November 4, 2018, all of which failed to reach a truce, as the strikes continues.

The Monday’s meeting, held at the Federal Ministry of Education, Abuja, which began at 5:30pm, lasted for more than three hours also ended in a deadlock.

National President of ASUU, Prof. Biodun Ogunyemi, who spoke at the end of the meeting, told newsmen that both parties could not reach an agreement on how to end the strike.

Prof. Ogunyemi however said that a new date will be fixed for another round of talks with the Federal Government.

“The meeting will continue at a later date. We will continue from where we stopped. We will continue at a later date. We have started the discussion, we are continuing and the discussion will continue at a later date that is all I can tell you for now”, the ASUU National President said.

The university teachers are protesting moves by the Government to hike fees in tertiary institutions as well as failure of the government to honour 2009 agreement on the proper funding of education in the country.

Meanwhile, parents have continue to lament the failure of the government to meet the needs of the striking teachers in order to end the three-week old strike, as their children/wards have remained at home even when they ought to be in school.

The parents decried the initial lackluster attitude of the Federal Government when the strike started, as some government officials were quoted as saying that the government has no money to give to the university system for now, given the nation’s state of finance.