The Federal College of Education (FCE), Technical, Bichi in Kano State, on Thursday says it has over 200 PhDs lecturers and other cadre of academics in its service, to enhance teaching and learning environment at the institution.

The Provost, Prof. Bashir Muhammed-Fagge, stated this while reacting to alleged impropriety levelled against the school management by the Colleges of Education Academic Staff Union (COEASU).

The union on April 13, embarked on a one-week warning strike to press home their demands and compel the school management address issues affecting welfare of its members.

Some of the contentious issues included poor learning environment, decay infrastructure, and  pervading insecurity.

Others are non remittance of N25 million outstanding staff multipurpose cooperative society deductions and non payment of 10 months peculiar allowances.

COEASU FCE Bichi Down Tools, To Protest Poor Working Conditions, Lack Of Issuance of TRCN Certiifcate to College Graduands
In swift reaction, Muhammad-Fagge dismissed the allegations, saying the school had increased the number of teaching and non teaching staff in the past few years.

Muhammad-Fagge said: “I want to vehemently disagree with them on that. When I joined as the Provost of the institution, there were only six lecturers with PhD, but today we have over 200.

“The same thing with the infrastructures. If you go round the school, no single building has not been renovated. And we have built a new permanent site with five new schools, which will be commissioned soon.

“We have e-library, laboratories, our lectures are prompt, we have increased the number of academic staff from 250 to about 750. And students who graduated were trained with skills acquisition to the level that when they graduate they can employ themselves and need not to go and seek a job.”

According to him, the management of the institution has adopted proactive measures to address issues raised by the striking union, adding that they have already put all mechanisms in place to that effect.

Muhammed-Fagge said the management was already in negotiations with the union to resolve the issues amicably.

“There is bound to be disagreement or skirmishes between the employer and employee because the relationship between the duo is usually characterised by these, but it is always an issue of resolution through dialogue.

“Among other issues raised is cooperative society, that the Management is owing them N25 million. Between 2015 and 2016, there was the introduction of a Tertiary Single Treasury Account (TSA).

“And the personnel cost of all Federal colleges were slashed down and all were paying incomplete salaries. But in this college, we paid a complete salary up till the end of the period.”

Muhammad-Fagge said the school have not experienced salary shortfall, adding that the management of the school engaged the union to deliberate on the issues bordering salary deduction and deductions.

According to him, the Federal Government paid 50 per cent of salary shortfall accrued sequel to the introduction of Treasury Single Account  (TSA).

The management, he said, would settle the outstanding 50 per cent balance of as soon as funds were available.

On the issue of security and cleaners, the Provost,  said the school was utilising the Internally Generated Revenue (IGR), to pay wages of the affected casual workers.

He lamented tnat the institution had recorded significant drop in revenues due to the COVID-19 lockdown and closure of the school.

The provost noted that paucity funds had adversely affected payment of registeation for Teachers’ Registration Council (TRCN).

“The students are supposed to pay for the TRCN, what the students pay for the registration is not enough.

“Therefore, the college decided to use overhead to settle the TRCN, unfortunately with no revenues to pay the security and cleaners and other issues such as fuel, how can we pay for the TRCN,” he said.

According  to him, the managenent of the college has evolved effectuve mechanisms to fully fund the TRCN and allow the students to obtain the TRCN certificates.

The management, he  said,  was working to ensure payment of peculiar academic allowance owed the lecturers, noting negotiations were on between the Federal Government and the union to facilitate payment.

“We set up a task force committee because we realised that over 1,300 students have not paid their school fees.

“Aboout N70 million is expected to be generated from payment of school fees, and the union requested for N38 million.

“So, if we get the students to pay their school fees, we could be able to address all the demands by the union.”

Muhammad-Fagge said that college accorded premium to address nagging issues raised by the union to enhance its operations and achieve academic excellence.

“The issue of no work, no pay will be the last option, if all others had been exhausted. We are negotiating and since they didn’t embark on a full blown strike.”