Title: ASUU Strike Actions and Students' Choice of University for Postgraduate Studies in Nigeria: Implications for Public Policy
Authors: Enoghase Itua, Ogbeide Frederick, Ph.D.
Volume: 10
Issue: 8
Pages: 45-51
Publication Date: 2026/08/28
Abstract:
: The study examined the effects of Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) strikes on students' choice of university for postgraduate studies in Nigeria was reviewed. This study used a descriptive survey research design which focused on the following research questions and the following three null hypotheses were tested at 0.05 level of significance. The population consisted of the 630 final year undergraduate students of the Faculty of Management Sciences of Ambrose Alli University, Ekpoma. Stratified random sampling technique was used for selecting a sample of 300 students. The instrument used for the collection of data was an ASUU Strike Actions and Students' Choice of University for Postgraduate Studies Questionnaire (ASASCPQ). Cronbach Alpha method was used to test reliability of instrument which gave a coefficient of 0.82. To answer the research questions, descriptive statistics (mean and standard deviation) were used and the null hypotheses were tested by Chi-square statistics. The results showed that the acts of ASUU strikes have a significant effect on students' preference for universities where academic activities are not disrupted for postgraduate studies. The study also reveals that, programme completion delay due to strike actions of ASUU and students' aspiration to complete post-graduate programmes in time has significant effect on the choice between ASUU affiliated public universities, non-ASUU public universities and private universities. The study revealed that the negative impacts of the strike action by ASUU in public universities on students' decision to choose public universities for postgraduate studies are significant, thereby driving students to gain admission into private universities and institutions that have stable academic calendar. The Federal Government was recommended to fund public universities adequately, and to keep to all commitment made with ASUU to avoid strikes among others.