EFFECT OF ACADEMIC STAFF UNION OF UNIVERSITIES STRIKE ON STUDENTS ACADEMIC TRAINING IN NNAMDI AZIKIWE UNIVERSITY, AWKA, 2019 – 2023

Abstract

The study examined the effect of Academic Staff Union of Universities strike on students' academic
training in Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka. The study was guided by two specific objectives. In line
with these objectives, two corresponding research questions and hypotheses were formulated. The
study was anchored on the Conflict Theory originally propounded by Karl Marx (1818–1883). A
descriptive survey research design was utilized in the study. The population consisted of all students of
Nnamdi Azikiwe University in Awka main campus, including regular, part-time, and postgraduate
students, totaling 41188. The Taro Yamani (1964) sample size determination formula was applied to
determine a sample size of 397. Data were collected from both primary and secondary. The data
collected were analyzed using descriptive statistics. All analyses were conducted using SPSS version 24.
The findings revealed that; non-teaching has significant negative effect on students' academic
performance and that ASUU strikes has significant negative effect on students' access to learning
resources, in Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka. The study concluded that frequent industrial actions by
academic unions pose a serious threat to the stability, effectiveness, and quality of higher education in
Nigeria and recommends among other things that government and university authorities should engage
in proactive and continuous dialogue with academic unions to resolve issues promptly and avoid strike
actions that delay students' graduation and disrupt academic calendars.