NUSS Demands Urgent Dialogue to End Academic Staff Strike
Sahid Bangura The National Union of Sierra Leone Students (NUSS) has called on the Government and the University of Sierra Leone Academic Staff Association (USASA) to urgently resolve their ongoing dispute through dialogue, warning that the industrial action is disrupting teaching, examinations and other academic activities across the country.
In a press release dated October 26, 2026, NUSS expressed concern over the continued strike, saying students were bearing the consequences of the disagreement between academic staff and the Government.
The union acknowledged the concerns raised by academic staff regarding salaries, working conditions and the implementation of previous agreements. It said lecturers deserved better welfare, improved working conditions and the necessary support to deliver quality education.
However, NUSS warned that the prolonged industrial action was affecting students’ academic calendars, examinations, research and graduation schedules, potentially undermining their educational progress.
The students’ union also recognised that the Government and USASA had been engaged in negotiations to address the issues. It urged both parties to intensify discussions and work towards a fair and sustainable settlement that would protect the interests of lecturers and students.
NUSS stressed that students should not become unintended victims of the dispute, emphasising that resolving the impasse was essential to restoring normal academic activities and safeguarding the future of higher education in Sierra Leone.
The union reaffirmed its willingness to support constructive efforts to bring the two parties together, insisting that dialogue remained the most effective means of achieving a peaceful and lasting resolution.
“Let the negotiations continue. Let the classrooms reopen. Let Sierra Leonean students return to learning,” the statement said.
The release was signed by NUSS President Fiona Ngima, who called on both parties to place students’ welfare and the future of higher education at the centre of the negotiations.
