The proposed contribution of N10,000 each session by each parent to help the Federal Government provide greater funding for universities was rejected by the Academic Staff Union of Universities.
The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has turned down the N10,000 University support levy proposed by parents.
“We have submitted a letter to the Office of the Education Minister, seeking an audience where we hope to discuss a proposal.
“We are proposing a sum of N10, 000 per parent every session that will be directly paid to the universities. That will be our own contribution apart from other statutory payments in making more funds available to the universities.
“It can be called parent support levy for universities. We are at the receiving end of the industrial action. We plead with the ASUU and Federal Government to immediately resolve their differences,” NAPTAN’s Public Relations Officer, Dr. Ademola Ekundayo, disclosed this during an interview.
However, in response to the proposed levy on Thursday, Prof. Emmanuel Osodeke, the national president of ASUU, said the parents should take action by joining the organization in stepping up pressure on the top government.
“I believe that this organisation should be telling the government to carry out its duty. They should exert pressure on the government to finance education in Nigeria using funds provided by Nigerian citizens, as is done in other nations.
“We cannot claim to be the educational behemoth of Africa while having the lowest standards. There are students from Nigeria studying in Ghana, the Benin Republic, Togo, and other less developed nations, but no one is studying in any of our universities.
“In order to ensure that the government prioritizes education, they should increase the pressure being applied by ASUU. The N10,000 is less significant than that.”
The National Parent-Teacher Association of Nigeria recommended the levy and requested an audience with the government over the ongoing ASUU strike, according to a report published on Wednesday by Everydaynewsgh.com.
