THE IMPACT  OF INDUSTRIAL ACTION ON THE ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT OF STUDENTS

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1 BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY

            The education sub-sector especially tertiary institution in Nigeria have witnessed in recent time incessant closures due to strike actions. Thus, according Chijioke (2013), a strike is an organized work stoppage by a group of workers to compel compliance with demands made by an employer or a group of employers. The Fair Work Act (2009) defines industrial action as work stoppages, work bans, lock-outs, and the performance of work by an employee in a way other than that which is ordinarily conducted. According to the Oxford Dictionary, industrial action is a procedure in which an organization organizes a stoppage of work by employers due to a wage and salary agreement.

Currently, education in Nigeria has not been able to reach the noble goal due to the persistent Academic Staff Union of Lecturers, industrial action that has frequently disrupted academic activity. Many factors may be attributed to the union of lecturers' persistent industrial action, including a dispute between the federal government (FG) and the college of education. The 2010 accord is the Academic Staff Union (COEASU), which the former claims the federal government (FG) has refused to fully execute. These include the non-implementation and payment of unusual learning allowances, the non-implementation of life insurance to families of deceased members, and the non-implementation of the retirement age of 65 in several states' institutions of education.

Other issues include a lack of education nationwide, inadequate funding for teacher education, non-accreditation of National Certificate of Education (NCE) programs, the failure to release a white paper on visitation panel reports, and the imposition of an integrated personnel and payroll information system. The most notable of these issues is a lack of autonomy and dehumanizing working circumstances. In order to find a long-term solution to these issues, the federal government-appointed panel should suggest in their report a 90 percent funding level over the next fifteen years, 1992-2007. The recommendations were included in the agreement between the federal government of Nigeria and the union of tertiary institutions, however the government failed to follow through on the agreement. The economic downturn and the foreign exchange rate did not help the review of the Agreement, which the government bluntly rejects. As a result of this, there have been several industrial actions by the union of tertiary institutions, which have been exacerbated by the way the government reacted to lecturer in tertiary institutions industrial action. Instead of engaging in meaningful dialogue with the lecturer of tertiary institutions, the government said no work, no pay policy and sacked some and even

However, little attention is paid to the impact of continuous strikes on the academic performance of students in Nigerian postsecondary institutions, particularly those carried out by federal and state tertiary institutions in Nigeria in 2013 and 2014. As a result, the purpose of this research is to investigate a series of strike actions and the direct impact they have on student grade point average (GPA).  According to Inyene (20120 academic program disruptions serve as demotivating elements for student. It deters children from studying. It is not unexpected, however, that during strike actions, most students are seen engaging in a variety of activities such as sexual immorality, internet scanning, pool betting, useless gossiping, watching movies and reading comic books for enjoyment purposes rather than reading their books. The student expressed remorse that the strike action had produced socio-psychological devastation in their life, resulting in undesired pregnancies and criminal activity hence making it pertinent for this to be studied.

1.2              STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM

Although tertiary  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.  This unnecessarily have negative effects on the student’s academic performance. This is because the period that should have been used to teach the students is spent at home all in the name of strike. This makes it impossible to cover the syllabus and at the end of the day the student’s come out of school with lesser knowledge than they ought to have acquired, thereby making it very hard for them to compete with their counterparts that finished from private schools. Marshall (2006) opined that effective learning in school occur when the stakeholders adequately perform their roles. The strike actions and this industrial relations deal with the problems of employment, conditions of work, pay, security of employment and other issues such as labor grievances, trade dispute and their resolution within the framework of rules and regulations, mutually by employer and employees. 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 (Adetiba 2012). 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 OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY

The broad objective of this study is to examine the impact  of industrial action on the academic achievement of students. Specifically the study seeks to :

1. Determine the extent at which industrial action hampers student  academic achievement

2. Investigate whether industrial action  have a direct effect on students overall Grade point average (GPA),

3. Ascertain whether staff industrial action leads to delayed graduation of students

4. Investigate  staff strike  action results to  prolongation of  academic calendar.

1.4       RESEARCH HYPOTHESIS

HO1:  Industrial action does not  hampers student  academic achievement.

HO2: Staff industrial action does not leads to delayed graduation of students

1.5              SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY

 This research provide a detailed account of factor responsible for higher education strike action in Nigeria. 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.The study will empirically add to the body of knowledge and serve as reference material for other academia in related field of study.

1.6              SCOPE OF THE STUDY

The scope of this study borders on  the impact  of strike action on the academic achievement of students. It will investigate whether industrial action  have a direct effect on students overall Grade point average (GPA) and consider causes of industrial action which often results to  delay in graduation of students and  prolongation of  academic calendar. The study is however delimited Federal University of Technology Owerri (FUTO)

1.7 LIMITATION OF THE STUDY

Like in every human endeavour, the researchers encountered slight constraints while carrying out the study. The significant constraint was the scanty literature on the subject owing that it is a new discourse thus the researcher incurred more financial expenses and much time was required in sourcing for the relevant materials, literature, or information and in the process of data collection, which is why the researcher resorted to a limited choice of sample size covering only  Federal University of Technology Owerri (FUTO). Thus findings of this study cannot be generalized for other tertiary institutions in other states within Nigeria. Additionally, the researcher will simultaneously engage in this study with other academic work will impede maximum devotion to the research. Howbeit, despite the constraint  encountered during the  research, all factors were downplayed in other to give the best and make the research successful.

1.8            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.

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