It is no longer news ASUU strike commenced in March 2020 when most year one students are yet to complete reg. No wonder #EndAsuuStrikeNow is starting to trend.
Why won’t it?
Today, that strike has officially lasted for seven months. Seven whole months. By academic standards, that’s an entire academic session.
ASUU strike has become a tradition. True, there was a pandemic in the middle of this strike, but its also true that ASUU strike would have remained if there was no pandemic.
That’s because of serious issues of contention, which according to the union, has necessitated the strike.
Staying home for seven months is enough setback for our dear Nigerian students. Not knowing when to return to school after such a long period at home is even a bigger set back.
Whether ASUU are right with their demands this time or the FG is right for not yielding to ASUU’s demands isn’t a language Nigerian students want to learn at this time.
That’s because only students suffer from the current ASUU strike. Reason why the #EndASUUStrikeNow movement is gathering pace
Why students suffer from ASUU strike
1. Prolonged stay at home
The uncertainty surrounding the current ASUU strike means students can’t look forward to a specific resumption date.
Because of that, students may have to stay home for a longer period. That’s not where Nigerian students want to be.
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Though some students have been able to make good the now seven months break to improve themselves, most students have only wasted at home.
They can neither secure gainful employment with academic qualifications strike won’t let them have, nor can they do anything worthwhile due to uncertainty.
2. Unstable academic calendar
Lets refresh our memory a bit. When ASUU strike started, most year one students were yet to even complete registrations. Those students are still in year one.
Final year students in most universities ought to be graduates by the end of this month. Those students are still final year students.
While some students ought to have completed industrial training (IT), others ought to be rounding off several academic projects. Those students are still where they were.
Same apply to students in various year of study.
Most JAMBites ought to have finished post utme. While the successful ones would have gotten admission and start preparing for school, the unfortunate ones will be preparing to take the next JAMB.
While current year one students have been unable to move to year two, the current JAMBbites have been unable to get into school. And the year is fast coming to end.
JAMB is bracing up to sell 2021 UTME forms already with an eye on the revenue.
While final year students have been unable to graduate, there will be shortage of Corp members in no distant time.
ASUU strike is holding the progress of these incredible young people, the academic calendar is hurting. And the most painful part is, most schools don’t even have a plan in place in the best interest of Nigerian students.
Therefore, once school resumes, only the fittest of the fittest will survive.
2. Reduced academic ability
There is no telling the negative impact that the seven months ASUU strike has had on students. The vast majority of students have lost the studentship in them.
Many students can’t even recall anything from school. Because, staying home seven months long without knowing when school will resume is enough to make even the brightest mind dormant.
The rest is that there’ll need to be a period of easing Nigerian students back to academic activities. That’s when school eventually (whether this year or next year) resumes.
3. Increased crimes
Idleness they say is the devil’s workshop. Such is the story of the average Nigerian student.
Due to this prolonged strike, some students have taken into crime, especially financial crime. Most internet fraudsters (yahoo) are now Nigerian students who ought to be learning in their various campuses.
Not to mention increase in the rate of other nefarious activities.
Staying at home doing nothing (thanks to ASUU strike) makes students susceptible to negative influences.
4. Increased work load
Saying that the workload will be a mountain to climb for most students once school opens is putting it politely.
The daunting workload could mean the beginning of the end of most students when school resumes.
Normally, its difficult enough to cope academically in a Nigerian university. All of which frustrates the efforts of students with the way they’re set up.
Its going to be even more difficult now. More workload. Short semester. 10-minutes lectures. Mass failure. Poor academic performance.
5. Poor academic performance
In other to reduce the damage the long break has done to the academic calendar, most tertiary institutions intend to welcome students back to campus with semester exams.
The result? Poor academic performance.
A thorough follow-up might reveal that there’ll be poor academic performance across the nation’s tertiary institution by the end of the current academic session.
That is if schools succeed with plans to rush students into exams. The prolonged ASUU strike only puts students in a terrible position to pass semester exams.
What we can expect is even more number of unbaked graduates in various sectors in the next few years.
6. Accommodation palava
There is no gainsaying that greater number of Nigerian students live off campus. Statistics reveal that school hostels can only accommodate less that 10% of its student population.
With ASUU strike very much in force, students are going to pay heavily for accommodation they never really stayed.
While some students just rented apartments when the strike started in March, others have stayed barely six months in the rooms they paid so much for.
That leaves most students in a very funny situation when school resumes. The feelings will be mixed.
7. More academic dues
Once government permitted schools to open, straightway universities, polytechnics and colleges saw an opportunity to milk Nigerian students.
Covid-19 dues. Covid-19 fees. Covid-19 levy all became prominent features on memo that welcome students back to school. Plus, the biting effects of ASUU strike.
That’s an indication students should expect increased school fees and other academic fees.
What crime has students committed to be dealt this fate?
All Nigerian students get for their innocence in the faceoff between the federal government and their academic workers is ASUU strike.
What more? Only the students suffer from ASUU strike. #EndAsuuStrikeNow.
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What do you think of the ASUU strike? Where do we go from here?
Please share with fellow students in the comment section below.
Maxwell is a Dietitian with passion for showing people hope. With nearly a decade experience helping people make key decisions on education and career, you can find him almost everywhere on this site. From answering admission and scholarship questions to creating tutorials and helping others live their best lives though nutrition. Connect with me on Twitter.
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