THE EFFECT OF INDUSTRIAL ACTION ON THE ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT OF STUDENTS IN COLLEGES OF EDUCATION

ABSTRACT

This study was carried out to find out the effect of industrial action on the academic achievement of students in colleges of education (a case study of Federal College of Education Osiele, Abeokuta, Ogun State). This study adopted a descriptive survey design with a study population of 100 students from Federal College of Education, Abeokuta,Ogun State from which a sample size of 100 respondents was randomly selected using systematic random sampling technique. The questionnaire was the main research instrument used for data collection, while data was analysed using simple percentage counts. The findings revealed that:

1.      Strike is caused by irregularities of lecturers salary

2.      Lack of dialogue between government and the workers. 

All these result to strike action, the effect of this strike action is usually decreased in performance of students academic in tertiary institutions. This study identified that industrial actions affects the student academic and demoralizes the students for achieving their academic pursits. Industrial action leads student to anti-social crimes such as armed Robbery, drug trafficking and it expose female to unsafe sex which lead to pregnancy.Recommendation and suggestions were that government should negotiate and between the workers to resolve industrial action in tertiary institutions.

CHAPTER ONE

1.0              INTRODUCTION

1.1              BACKGROUND TO THE STUDY

Industrial action by the tertiary institution in Nigeria have had serious effect on the Academic performance of students and also the educational development of our Economy.

Strike action could be trance back from the nationwide strike organised by the Academic union of Universities (ASUU) in 1988, which was used to challenge the military regime of General Ibrahim Babangida, General SanniAbacha (1994 and 1996) and presidentOlusegunObasanjo after the return of Democracy in 1999.

The union had use strike action to demand for fair wages, university autonomy and funding of Nigeria universities etc.

Chijioke (2013) sees strike as an organised work stoppage by a body of workers to enforce compliance with demands made by an employers or a group of employers.

Fair work Act (2009) sees industrial action as stoppage of work, work bans, lock-out and the performance of work by an employee in a manner different from that in which it is customarily performed.

Oxford Dictionary learners sees industrial action as a process by which organisation organised stopping of work by employers because of some agreement on wages and salaries.

Disruptions in Academic programs serve as non-motivational factors to the students. It discourage them from learning. It is not surprising therefore that during strike actions, most students are seen involved in diverse activities such as sexual immorality, cyber scan, pool betting, unnecessary gossips, watching of films and reading comic materials for entertainment purposes rather than reading their book. The student regretted that the strike action caused socio-psychological havocs in their lives leading to unwanted pregnancies and involvement in crimes.

The Student Union Government (SUG) president of Federal College of Education Technical OmokuRiver States. Comrade Ekeakita Hector Chinem said further that strike is a total failure and had caused more pains to students than what the management intended to achieve he said the  strike action frustrated students, adding that more than 25% of their female counter parts are carrying unwanted pregnancies, while some of the males are wasting in police cells for various offences.

He was also of the opinion that shame on the side of the Hon. Minister of state for Education Chief Nyesomwike who was in change to Amicable resolve the striking issue but failed to do so. As far as he was concerned it is an act of wickedness with the level of unwanted pregnancies we have witnessed in my campus. It essence the female student prostitution during the period of the strike action.

The Student Union Government (SUG) president of Federal College of Education Osiele, Abeokuta Comrade IdowuMusiliu (AKA) Daniel said keeping the students out of classroom for that long period shows that federal government has no feeling for polytechnics sector.

According to IyanuLeke (2013) a Business Education student of Federal College of Education Akoka said many students in college of education are wasting away because of the strike action. The government should consider the future of these students.  

Indeed the strike action has affected the students negatively said Mr.Ogo Ebenezer, a lecture of fine and Applied Art department and General secretary of college of education Academic staff Union (COEASU) Akoka chapter.

College of Education is regarded as the citadel of knowledge, the fountain of intellectualism, the most appropriate ground for the incubation of leaders of tomorrows.

Odubela (2012) concluded that an effective learning or an enhanced academic performance is achieve by successful covering of the course outline timely and before examination. This is rarely achieved with strike action in place from the above review therefore the researcher is of the view that disruption in academic program as caused by strike action breeds disappointment, frustration, Emotional and psychological trauma, unpreparedness on the part of the students and lack of motivation, which sum up to non conductive environment for effective learning in Nigerian Universities situation that dampens human development. Presently education in Nigeria has not been able to achieve the noble objective because it is the incessant of Academic staff union of lecturers, industrial action which has often disrupted academic activities. Many reason can be seen responsible for the incessant industrial action by the union of lecture is contention between the federal govern (FG) and college of education Academic staff union (COEASU) is the 2010 agreement, which the former said the federal Government (FG) has refused to fully implement. These include the non-integration and payment of peculiar learned allowance, non-implementation of life insurance to families of decreased member and the non-implementation of the retirement age of 65 in many states colleges of education.

The other issue include poor of education nationwide, poor funding neglect of teachers education, non accreditation of National certificate of Education programmes (NCE) non-release of the white paper on visitation panel reports, and the imposition of the integrated personnel and payroll information system.

   The prominent among these problems is lack of autonomy and dehumanizing working conditions in trying to find a lasting solution to these problems, the commission set up by the federal government should recommended in their report a 90% funding level for nest fifteen years 1992-2007.

The recommendation were adopted in the Agreement between the federal government of Nigeria and the union of tertiary institution unfortunately government reneged on the agreement.

The economic turn down and the foreign exchange rate did not helps the review of the Agreement which government bluntly turns down folicing this there have been several industrial action by the union of tertiary further aggravated by the way government reacted to lecturer in tertiary institutions industrial action instead of engaging in meaningful dialogue with the lecturer of tertiary institution the government said no work, No pay policy and sacked some and even went as far forcefully rejected them from their official Quarters. According to Olugbeko the vice president of COEASU said it is ridiculous that the only response could give about the strikes regardless is No work, No pay policy is not threat to us. We are ready to continue the struggle without pay.

However, little attention is given to the effect of constant strike on the academic performance of students in Nigerian tertiary institutions specially that of year 2013 and 2014 which was carried out by federal and state tertiary institution in Nigeria. This study therefore intends to examine series of strike action and the direct effect it has on student grade point average (GPA).

1.2              STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM

College of Education is regarded as the citadel of knowledge the fountain of intellectualism, the most appropriate ground for the incubation of leaders of tomorrow.

However, over the last thirsty year in Nigeria the educational system has witness and unprecedented industrial unrest and so many official assaults than other social institution.

Statistics from the national tertiary institution commission (2002) reveal that since 1992 the academic staff union of tertiary institution has embarked on industrial action over 23 times to drive home its demands.

Many have argued that those in position of authorities see tertiary institution a a burden and as institution to be exploited and left desolate, so far some of their wards are studying abroad and private tertiary institution. To arrest the situation academic staff union of universities (ASUU) have gone on industrial action several times with the recent one in 2013 Lingering for more than six months likewise academic staff union of polytechnics (ASUP) which lasted for over two-third of a year and also the colleges of education academic staff union (COEASU) over eight months.

The disagreement of lecturer in tertiary institution, industrial action is an agent of social change in an organisation. Education administrations concerned with the effect and influence of industrial action (disagreement) on educational sector in particular to the social economic and political sector in general.

There is hardly a full academic session that student and staff crises will not resulting prolongment academic calendar, delayed graduation of students, teaching practice student, delayed in admission list of students and economic waste suffered by students, parents and the country as a whole.

This study therefore intends to examine the series of strike action and the direct effect it has on students academic achievement.

1.3              PURPOSE OF THE STUDY

The essence of this research work is to find out the effect of industrial action on academic achievement of the students in college of education.

1.4              RESEARCH QUESTIONS

The following research question are to guide the study

i.                    Is there any effect of industrial action on students academic achievement in the colleges of education?

ii.                  Is there any effect of student over stayed in the college on academic achievement of students?

iii.                Is there any effect of students’ involvement in prostitution on academic achievement?

iv.                Is there any effect of academic staff demands on academic achievement of students in college of education?

1.5              SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY

The significance of the study lies in its contributions to the body of knowledge as follows:

1.      This research provide a detailed account of factor responsible for higher education strike action in Nigeria

2.      The study is significant to the state and federal government who will appreciate that are inability to implement the joint decisions reached have serious implication for the learning effectiveness of the students.

1.6              SCOPE OF THE STUDY

The research topic will be focused on Federal College of Education Abeokuta, Ogun State.

The colleges of education has encountered some worst problems in the history of trade unionism in the country while the primary aim of the study is to investigate whether colleges of education industrial action have a direct effect on students overall Grade point average (GPA), the research will also touches the primary causes and effect on the industrial conflict between the academic staff union of colleges of education and Federal Government of Nigeria.

Industrial action by the union of colleges of education is peculiar to colleges of education in OgunState. The study intends to carry out a comparative the analysis of college of education in selected colleges of education in Ogun State. 

1.7              DEFINITION OF TERMS

Industrial Action: It is a process by which organisation stopping of work by employers because of some agreement on wages and salaries reduce to work as a protest

Effect: Something that is produced by an Agency or cause, result consequence

Academic Performance: It refers to how well a student is accomplishing his or her task and studies.

Students: Is a person formally engaged in learning one enrolled in a school or college

Tertiary Institution: Refer to education and training at college, universities and polytechnics

Colleges of Education: is regarded as the citadel of knowledge, the foundation of intellectualism, the most appropriate ground for the incubation of leading of tomorrows