Mariam Hamzat
Eight months after the Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU embarked on strike, the association decided to call it off. This decision was communicated to the public on October 14 after a meeting of the Union’s National Executive Council (NEC). The strike was called off in compliance with the court’s judgment on October 7th which stated that the union should resume.
However, ASUU President, Emmanuel Osodeke has stated that some of the issues raised remain unsolved. While speaking on Channels last Sunday, he stated that the strike was suspended to obey the court’s order and that no agreement has been signed, leaving issues lingering.
“The issues have not been fully resolved and no agreement has been signed. So, we are resuming because we are a law-abiding body and we don’t want to break the law. We are also hoping that the intervention of the speaker, as promised by him, will resolve these problems in a very short time.”
Since February 14, when the decision to go on strike was communicated, several meetings have been held between the union’s executive members, the Minister of Labour, Chris Ngiige, Speaker of the House of Representative, Femi Gbajabiamila and other persons. Through all of these meetings, parents and students have been kept at the edge of their seats, awaiting a positive reply from the meetings. Many Students, however, have expressed mixed feelings on hearing the news of resumption.
Following the calling off of the strike, several institutions have made known their decisions to resume, releasing academic calendars to that effect. Some of these institutions include the Olabisi Onabanjo University which stated resumption for October 17, Bayero University, Kano, October 24, University of Nigeria, October 22, Micheal Okpara University of Agriculture, October 17, Ladoke Akintola University of Technology, October 17, Federal University Lokoja, October 24, Adekunle Ajasin University 17, among others.
A notable trend among these institutions however is how the calendars have been structured such that students only have a few weeks of lecture before going on to take their exams, all in an attempt to make up for the lost time. Some institutions that suspended examinations for the strike have released timetables for examinations to commence in earnest.
Mixed Feelings
While some students are happy to be back in school and resume activities, others have expressed mixed feelings following the announcement of the strike being called off.
A Twitter user, lamented how he is sad and happy to resume at the same time.
This is not so different for some other students. For students who have been working full-time or undergoing internships at other locations outside their school-host city since the strike started, resuming back to school means they have to return to classes, hence resign from their jobs or work remotely, if allowed. Still, while remote working may be considered for some students, exceptional cases like Mary Nweke simply cannot work.
Mary, who has been working with a video production company, cannot move her work online. It requires her to be a part of the crew at the studio where production takes place, hence the strike getting called off means she could not keep her job in that position.
“I already had my life planned out till December. Although I want to go to school, I was expecting that we would be resuming in January, giving me more time to learn and earn,” she stated.
Other students like Hammed, who have been working remotely on a schedule would have to collapse this schedule as they resume back to school. Attending classes would have to be added to such schedules and they would have to deal with situations that make them unavailable to reply to clients and bosses in a short time, or unavailable to attend meetings.
“ I have exams coming up soon. So I’m trying to clear my schedule as soon as possible so that I can get to work.”
For others like Oloidi Oluwapelumi, a final-year student, her mixed feelings stem from how rigorous the semester will be for her and her colleagues. Oluwapelumi lamented that a short semester, filled with activities will be tasking.
“First, let’s talk about the monetary aspect. We are going to be spending a lot in a little time. Paying school fees and the likes. Then let’s move to the fact that we have to go to class, do our project and even write exams is another feeling on its own,” she said.
Although she wants to be back in school, she wishes she doesn’t have to face everything in such a short time, especially after a long break.
Adeyanju David who is also very happy to resume said that schools should give students time to adjust before moving into exams.
“I am happy to resume back to school because staying at home for 8 months is not easy. However, I am not pleased with the calendar. Why should we have only about 4 weeks for lectures? The school needs to consider us. The morale for school is not what it used to be.”
Coping with Resumption
Amidst resumption and realization that students will undergo changes in schedule, location and commitment, conversations are being held on how students can cope with theancing work and study, and anxiety.
A health platform, Blueroomcare which provides effective online therapy, through Twitter, a social media platform listed out some of the ways that students can deal with anxiety about returning to campus. The platform listed getting organized, organizing one’s study space, starting with the basics, focusing on the positive, and accepting circumstances as some of the ways to cope.
“Start with the basics. If it’s been a while since you were at school or university, your study skills may be a bit rusty. The best way to combat this is taking pressure off yourself, and starting it slow and easy.”
