King’s College crisis: Education Minister announces resolutions, suspends staff dismissal

The Minister of Education, Tunji Alausa, has announced key resolutions on the issues surrounding King’s College, Lagos.

This comes as Alausa assured that no member of staff would be dismissed and that the deployment of academic and non-academic staff would be handled in accordance with the Public Service Rules.

In a statement by the Minister’s spokesperson, Ikharo Attah, the resolutions were reached at the end of a high-level engagement between the Federal Ministry of Education, the Trade Union Congress (TUC) and other stakeholders over concerns arising from the arrangement for the King’s College Old Boys Association to continue managing the institution.

Alausa said the meeting was conducted in the spirit of mutual respect and the national interest, noting that while stakeholders might not get everything they wanted, dialogue and deliberation would provide a basis for reaching a resolution that was in the best interest of the country.

The Minister announced that implementation of the arrangement for the King’s College Old Boys Association to continue managing the school would proceed, while a seven-member high-level committee would be constituted to consider further recommendations that could be incorporated into the agreement already signed.

The committee will comprise two representatives of the Federal Ministry of Education, including the Minister of State for Education and the Acting Permanent Secretary; one representative of the Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment; two senior-level representatives of the Trade Union Congress; and two representatives of the King’s College Old Boys Association.

According to Alausa, the committee will have one to two weeks to complete its assignment and make any additional recommendations for consideration.

The Minister further stated that all academic and non-academic staff of King’s College would continue to be treated in accordance with the Public Service Rules, with no infringement of the rules in relation to their deployment.

Responding to the outcome of the engagement, the TUC General Secretary, Comrade Nuhu Toro, described the meeting as fruitful and robust, saying the concerns of the unions had been openly presented and considered in good faith.

Toro announced that the TUC would suspend the industrial action earlier directed against its affiliates. He explained that the suspension would allow the newly constituted committee to undertake its assignment, adding that the unions could resume the suspended action if necessary.

The TUC General Secretary welcomed the establishment of the committee, saying it would give the unions an opportunity to examine the relevant policy document, raise their concerns and contribute to its consideration before the parties reconvened within the stipulated period.

Toro also acknowledged the need for urgent attention to the condition of King’s College, stressing that the status quo should not continue and that the dilapidated state of the institution needed to be addressed.

He described the outcome of the engagement as a win-win situation, noting that the unions had secured assurances on the concerns of their members while the government had demonstrated a willingness to revisit issues requiring further consideration.

The engagement forms part of the Federal Government’s broader effort to strengthen the management and condition of public educational institutions and improve the quality of learning in line with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda.