Now the heat is no longer one sided, it is for both the members of the Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics and Universities; because even in the polytechnics, the take-home of a chief lecturer is not that encouraging, although the hurt is minimal when compared to those in universities.
When I was in school, I had a passion for becoming a teacher, specifically a lecturer. This was because I was impressed by how my lecturers were delivering knowledge. During my final year, I used to lead a tutorial with some of my classmates and junior students.
Fast-forward, after I got a job in a federal tertiary institution, I consulted some of my academic advisers of what to do in order to make my dream become a reality, I was advised accordingly; I went further to get the basic requirements.
When I started going deeper, I came to realise that the system is beyond my expectations. Almost everything attached to it is worrisome, the only thing that is attractive is that one can earn honour and respect, and for those who do it well their rewards is with architect of all happening.
In the past, lecturing was one of the most attractive and cherished jobs. In fact, almost everyone wanted to be a lecturer, perhaps because inflation was minimal and the government was paying serious attention to it.
It’s a fact that is well known to us that, the contributions of lecturers to national development can’t be overemphasised, but unfortunately the government is no longer paying attention to their services.
Now the system is no longer attractive. Imagine a renowned senior professor teaching in the university can’t go home with N600,000 per month as salary after the purported and undesirable deductions and after all what he or she has undergone before reaching that peak.
Most of our professors are living under pressure and anxiety, they’re living below average. Some of them can’t afford the basic needs despite their huge sacrifices towards reshaping our mindset to become good ambassadors or leaders of tomorrow.
If a professor, who has served for a good uninterrupted 30 years in the university, can’t receive more than N600,000 per month, what would happen to the upcoming lecturers or the aspiring researchers? Certainly, they’ll lose hope and passion in the system.
Now, a lecturing job has become an option, in the sense that, whoever you see lecturing either he or she has nothing else to do or they are just on transit. You can believe me because it’s now reflecting on the upcoming graduates and the lecturers’ behaviour.
I am afraid a time will come when there’ll be either no one that will teach with passion or the system will be left with unpatriotic individuals, because no one will love to live in misery after spending 35 years in