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The House of Representatives yesterday began proceedings to ensure that the federal government complies with the agreement entered into with the Academic Staff Union of Nigerian Universities (ASUU) in 2009 by drafting a bill which seeks to increase the retirement age of academic staff to 70.
Presenting a Bill for an Act to further amend the Universities (miscellaneous provisions) Act 1993 to increase the retirement age for academic staff in the professional and non-academic staff yesterday, chairman, Education Committee, Hon. Farouk Lawan, reminded the House that it was one of the terms agreed upon by ASUU and federal government which had not been implemented.
In the same vein, he also presented a bill for an Act to harmonise the retirement age for Academic staff of polytechnics and colleges of education as well.
Leading the debate on the bill, Lawan said the rationale behind the amendment was meant to provide improved quality of teaching and learning in the country by allowing professors and other experienced academicians to remain in the education system to tutor others.
“It will allow universities to retain academic staff who had acquired a reservoir of knowledge and experience and can assist in improving education,” he said.
He also added that “attaining the position of a professor takes a lot of time spent doing research and other activities that improve knowledge and usually, it is attained from about 50 years of age. The bill seeks to peg retirement age at 70 for academic staff and 65 for non-academic staff.”
The bills were committed to the committee of the whole, having already passed through second reading in the last assembly.
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