EDITORIAL: End lecturers’ strike or send students home

The government must either resolve the lecturers’ strike this week or send students home. There is no sense in keeping thousands of young people stranded on campuses where no teaching is taking place.

If the Ministry of Education cannot end the crisis immediately, it should close universities until a return-to-work formula is signed. Let students know the truth instead of letting them waste another month doing nothing.

The lecturers’ strike, now entering its second month, has paralysed public universities across the country. Classes have stopped, supervision of research is suspended, and graduation dates are in disarray. 

The Universities Academic Staff Union has rejected the government’s pay offer, insisting that unpaid arrears must first be settled. Meanwhile, students, parents, and the wider economy are paying the price for the stalemate.

This disruption goes far beyond lecture halls. Donor-funded research projects are stalled. Industry partnerships have frozen. Even the smooth transition from secondary to university education is now uncertain.

The Ministry of Education must treat this strike as a national emergency. It should hold frank talks with the union and agree on a fair, sustainable deal that restores normal learning. A serious country cannot leave its universities idle for weeks without a plan.

Education is a pillar of national growth. When universities are silent, innovation stops, confidence fades and the nation suffers. The time for half-measures is over. Resolve the strike this week or officially close the universities until further notice.