The strike is a mess for everyone including the dons themselves. It could have been avoided if everyone involved was level headed, but since no one wants to cede their hardline positions then so be it.

Parents and guardians are the biggest losers since many have paid hostel fees for maybe a whole semester. With a majority of students staying in private hostels off-campus this is a huge loss.

However, a worse loss is hovering on the horizon. Some universities I know of have students who should have done an industrial attachment in 2016 but could not because of certain challenges.

The plan was that they would do it this year along with their colleagues one academic year behind them.

Classes that were meant to start in January never took off. Even if by divine intervention UASU and IPUCC were to come to an agreement by say Friday (probability close to zero) and classes resumed on Monday, March 6, 2017, it is too late to do a 16 week Semester in the remaining time before May when attachment normally takes place.

The next opportunity will have to be May 2018. This means the 2016 group will graduate two years later than they should while the 2017 group will be one year late.

This is what the British would call a bloody royal mess! My plea to both UASU and IPUCC is to take into consideration the welfare of the core clients who are the students.

Leave your emotions aside and focus on the real issue which is the welfare of the students first, and secondly the job satisfaction of teaching staff.

 IPUCC must not lose sight of the fact that its membership is made up entirely of university lecturers and professors none of whom must cheat themselves that they would be excluded from the outcome of any disastrous and irrational action taken by either party or Government itself.