Jos – The Joint Union of Plateau State owned Tertiary Institutions, JUPTI has raised the alarm over the exodus of experienced professionals who have abandoned the institutions for greener pasture.
The union urged the State government to look into the situation to prevent further deterioration, appealing to stakeholders to prevail on government to do what is right for the schools.
The Joint Union accused the State government of negligence of the institutions thereby forcing credible hands in departments like Engineering, Sciences and the Humanities to be lost to other institutions.
Addressing journalists Tuesday in Jos, the Chairman of JUPTI who is also the Chairman, Plateau State Polytechnic Chapter of Academic Staff Union of Polytechnic, ASUP, Mr. Victor Dawurung said the people of Plateau State should not blame the Union as its seeks to resume its earlier suspended strike action.
His words, “It is time for us to tell the world what the State-owned institutions is going through. You would recall that on the 13th May, 2013, we suspended the strike we embarked upon on the 22nd February, 2013 following the personal intervention of the State Head of Service, Mr. Ezekiel Dalyop and the Special Adviser to the governor on Special Duties, Mr. Yakubu Jang.
“Up to now, none of the issues have been resolved despite written commitment by Mr. Dalyop that the issues will be urgently tackled. It is over a year now and we have not witnessed any development on our demands, we feel short-changed and we should not be blamed for any action we take.”
Dawurung stated the exodus of the lecturers are as a result of empty treasury of the institutions which indicates that any staff who retires will not have gratuity as the State government had taken money from the institutions who have no subvention to pay some pensioners and seek a refund.
According to him, “The traumatic experience inflicted on us is the directive issued on the 15th August, 2013 from the Office of the State Head of Service directing Heads of Tertiary institutions to use the Gratuity Fund in the institutions to pay pensioners on the payroll of the institutions.
“Before now, government pays their monthly pension as government no longer gives us subvention to the institutions. We reacted to this in a letter dated 27th August, 2013, we wrote again on 31st July, 2014 but there was no response. We are afraid that very soon our members will retire and there will be no money for their gratuity.
“We are appealing to governor Jonah Jang to ensure a refund of all the monies that have been used in paying the pensioners so that those who are still in service do not suffer when they retire.”
The Union also faulted the clandestine manner that the State House of Assembly is going about the bill seeking to merge the State College of Arts, Science and Technology, CAST, Kurgwi with the State University, Bokkos saying, “CAST is a product of an agitation by Plateau people and cannot be hijacked from them.”
The Unionists maintained as stakeholders in the education sector, they cannot watch government continue to play politics with education stressing, “we reject this illegal merger and call on all Plateau people to lend their voices to this unwholesome practice that may undermine educational growth on the Plateau.”
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