JESAC Confab Gets NLC Backing To Mobilize 20 Million Members For Education Reforms

 

The Joint Education stakeholders Action Coalition (JESAC) of critical education unions and associations that span the entire gamut of education sector, from primary to tertiary, with combined membership profile of over 20 million voters, has received the endorsement of Nigeria Labour Conference (NLC) for mobilization of its members to speak with one voice with their votes for election of education-friendly political leaders committed to total root-and-branch restructuring of education at national, state, LGA and ward levels.

The mobilization effort continues with the Consultative Conference scheduled to hold from 28th November to 2nd December at Nugget Hotel, Abuja on the theme  “JESAC Charter of Education Reforms- 100 Irreducible Minimum Education Reforms to Qualify Candidates for JESAC Support and Votes in National, Gubernatorial, Municipal and Ward Elections”.

The NLC endorsement letter signed by Dr Peter Ozo-Eson, General Secretary stated that the Congress is convinced that JESAC initiative is “a worthwhile one in the quest to improve education in our country…I therefore, wish to convey to you our acceptance to participate in your activities and also formally endorse the JESAC initiative.”

The JESAC initiative is committed to mobilization of 20 million members of the Coalition to bond, campaign and speak with one voice with their votes in support of education- friendly political leaders and rejection of education-unfriendly candidates at national, state, municipal and ward elections.

The need for sensitization mobilization of education stakeholders has become more urgent in this season of recession and resource scarcity when commitment to education reforms and welfare of academic and non-academic staff are increasingly being relegated to the back burner of priorities of political leaders. This period of recession should be a period of out-of-the-box thinking and more committed efforts to resolve the leadership, governance, policy, infrastructure, motivation, welfare, funding and corruption issues that have hampered the capacity of education to fulfill its mandate of raising leaders and workers with character to shun corruption and the skills, ability and competence to deliver transformation..Instead, the current reality is lack of commitment and even diversion of bailout funds meant for payment of long overdue salaries of teaching and non-teaching staff.20 million JESAC members are sending out the message loud and clear that they are waiting at the ballot box with their collective votes.

JESAC was formally instituted by the Abuja Declaration of September 8, 2010 at it’s First National Consultative Conference held at Transcorp Hilton Hotel, Abuja , with the coming together of 19 critical unions and organizations in the education sector. The inaugural member organizations include:Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT);Association of Primary School Head Teachers of Nigeria (AOPSHON); All Nigerian Confederation of Principals of Secondary Schools (ANCOPSS); Senior Staff Association of Nigeria Universities (SSANU); Non Academic Staff Union of Educational and Associated Institutions (NASU); Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU); Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics (ASUP); Colleges of Education Academic Staff Union (COEASU); National Parent Teachers Association of Nigeria (NAPTAN); Senior Staff Union of Colleges of Education (SSUCOEN); Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Polytechnics (SSANIP); Conference of Alumni Associations of Colleges of Education(COAACEIN) ; Coalition of Secondary Schools Old Students Association(COSSOSA); National Parents Association of Federal Unity Secondary Schools (NAPAFUSS); Exam Ethics Marshals International (Coordinating Agency).

The JESAC initiative is a success story in terms of leveraging the collective brain power, organization, network, skills and population of education stakeholders as game changers in  national, gubernatorial, municipal and ward elections; in terms of mobilization of education stakeholders to participate actively in the political process; in terms of supporting and facilitating free, fair and credible elections; resisting the use of education stakeholders to rig elections; resisting the use of students as political thugs; campaigning and voting for education-friendly political leaders; and ensuring the failure of education unfriendly political leaders at the ballot box. The success story of JESAC started on 29th October 2010 when Presidential Candidates for the 2011 general elections presented their education reform plans in person to the 2nd JESAC Consultative Conference in session. Since then 80% of candidates supported by JESAC in national, gubernatorial, municipal and ward elections have been successful.

JESAC’s choice of candidates to support or reject depends on their relative scale of compliance with JESAC Charter of Education Reforms. The Charter is a set of 100 minimum education reforms that qualify candidates for JESAC support at all levels of election. The level of compliance is objectively determined with the JESAC Education Performance Assessment (EPA) Audit instrument with which their EPA scores of Governments, Leaders and Candidates are generated. The 2016 JESAC EPA scores of various State Governments will be generated and announced at the Abuja Conference on 1st December.

Mobilization of JESAC members is based on JESAC 5-Minutes Teacher initiative where each member is required to use the opportunity of every class, lecture, assembly, seminar, workshop, conference, meeting, sermon, rally, event as well as print, electronic and social media interaction to deliver a 5-minute case on the need for root-and-branch reform of education; on the need to liberate education from the shackles of corruption, examination malpractice, academic dishonesty and bureaucratic bottlenecks; on the need to speak with one voice with votes for election of education friendly candidates in national, state, municipal and ward elections. The responsibility for successful reform of the education sector rests on the shoulders of every education stakeholder.

The JESAC consultative conference is open to all interested stakeholders including all unions, organizations, associations, ministries, agencies interested in and committed to reform of education in all sectors; and political leaders and parties at federal, state, LGA and ward levels. JESAC neither requests nor receives funding support from any person, organization, company, party, government or entity.  JESAC consultative conferences are designed to be self-funding through payment of prescribed conference fees by interested participants.

IKE ONYECHERE, MFR

NATIONAL COORDINATOR, JESAC.