Employees of the Ondo State-owned universities and other tertiary institutions are set to initiate a labour strike starting January 1, 2024, in response to an alleged failure to disburse salaries and allowances.

The Chairman of the Joint Negotiating Council of the Olusegun Agagu University of Science and Technology, Okitipupa, Dayo Temola, issued a statement titled ‘Why we may not resume work in January.’

The statement, released on Wednesday, conveyed the collective decision of various unions within government-owned tertiary institutions in the state.

Temola, acting on behalf of these unions, revealed that the resolution was reached during a meeting of the Joint Negotiating Council held at the University of Medical Science in Ondo last week.

The statement read, “The non-teaching staff of Olusegun Agagu University have vowed not to resume until the government resolved to implement the 2019 minimum wage and pay the wage award of N35,000 as a result of the removal of fuel subsidy.”

In the statement, the unions frowned at the alleged delay in releasing “subvention to our institution in Ondo State by the present government.

“Based on the above, the JAC of state tertiary Institutions in Ondo State cannot guarantee industrial harmony starting from January 1, 2023.”

The registration dates for the 2024 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) and Direct Entry (DE) have been disclosed by the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB).

In a statement released on Sunday, JAMB declared that prospective candidates are now eligible to initiate the creation of their profiles on the JAMB website. The official sale of application documents is scheduled to commence on Monday, January 15, 2024.

Prospective candidates have a window of six weeks, concluding on Monday, February 26, to finalize their registration.

The examination body highlighted that the registration fee for the 2024 UTME varies based on whether a candidate intends to partake in the optional mock exam. Those opting for the mock exam will be required to pay N7,700, while those abstaining from it will incur a fee of N6,200.

“Sale of Application Documents for Foreign Candidates: $30,” it added.

JAMB has outlined specific details for individuals seeking admission through Direct Entry. The registration process for Direct Entry commences on Wednesday, February 28, 2024, and concludes on Thursday, March 28, 2024.

Additionally, JAMB has scheduled the 2024 UTME mock examination for Thursday, March 7, 2024. This mock exam allows students to assess their readiness and identify areas for improvement before the actual examination. Candidates can obtain their examination slips starting on Wednesday, April 10, 2024.

The main UTME is set to span ten days, from Friday, April 19, 2024, to Monday, April 29, 2024.

“For more enquiries, kindly visit our website at http://jamb.gov.ng, our social media handles or any JAMB office near you.”

Most of the universities in the United Kingdom have witnessed a decline in international student admissions, including from Nigerians, due to the British government’s policy on dependent visa bans.

Recall that the dependant visa ban policy, introduced by the UK Home Office under the dismissed interior secretary Suella Braverman, takes effect from January 2024, restricting Nigerians and other migrants from bringing family members.

British High Commissioner to Nigeria, Richard Montgomery, explained in June that the policy aimed to prevent strain on the housing infrastructure of the British economy and manage the influx of migrants.

In light of the aftermath of this policy, universities and business schools reported their inability to meet the admission targets for 2024, as disclosed in a report from the Chartered Association of Business Schools (CABS) Annual Membership Survey.

The report said: “In what appears to be an early signal of the impact of an important change to UK visa policy, nearly half (44%) of the country’s business schools are reporting that they will miss their non-EU recruitment targets this year.

“When reporting on performance against non-EU recruitment targets for the 2023/24 academic year, nearly three in ten responding institutions (29%) said they had either significantly or moderately exceeded their goal. Another 27% said they had met their recruitment target.

“But the remaining 44% said that they fell short of their recruitment goals, of which 22% reported being “significantly below” their target enrolment.

“The survey report adds: ‘There is significant variation in the results by level of study for non-EU international enrolments, as at undergraduate level nearly half of the schools either significantly or moderately exceeded target compared to one-third of schools at postgraduate level.

“At postgraduate level nearly 50% of schools reported recruitment that was either significantly or moderately below target for non-EU international students, compared to 21% at undergraduate level.’

“Survey respondents reported that they were seeing some of the most significant increases in non-EU enrolment from India, Pakistan, and Ghana.

“All these countries had more business schools seeing increases in enrolments for the new academic year than decreases.

“Growth in enrolments from Nepal and Saudi Arabia were also cited by several schools. None of the schools cited decreases in enrolments from Nepal, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia.”

Affected by the dependant visa restriction policy, the report disclosed that Nigerians and Chinese have reduced their admissions to British universities, saying “the most frequently cited countries for declining enrolments were China and Nigeria, which could suggest a reversal in the growth in recruitment from these key countries in recent years.”

Canada and Australia are reaping the benefits of the UK’s dependant visa ban, as revealed in the report. The number of international students, particularly from Nigeria and China, seeking admission for Master’s in Business Administration (MBA) programs in the UK has dwindled.

The report suggests that these students are now turning to Canadian and Australian universities, which are perceived as more welcoming to migrants. In May 2023, the British government announced the restriction on international students bringing dependants, effective from January 2024, except for those in postgraduate programs with a research focus.

According to the Home Office, nearly half a million student visas were issued in 2022.