The Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) has maintained that
the Federal Ministry of Education under the headship of Mallam Adamu Adamu has
a hidden agenda in respect to the issue of religious studies in the present
curriculum of education. CAN also accused the Nigerian Educational Research and
Development Council (NERDC) of being part of the agenda and challenged them to
publish the full details of the controversial new curriculum of education to
prove they have no hidden agenda.
CAN had in a recent meeting with Acting President Yemi
Osinbajo, raised some disturbing issues over Religious Studies in the new
curriculum of education and called on the government to ensure there is no
discrimination against any student because of religious beliefs in public
schools. CAN president, Rev. Samson Olasupo Ayokunle, in the meeting with
Osinbajo noted, “…In this curriculum, Islamic and Christian Religious Studies
will no longer be studied in schools as subjects on their own but as themes in
a civic education. This undermines the sound moral values that these two
subjects had imparted in the past to our children which had made us to
religiously and ethnically co-exist without any tension. “…Islamic Religious
Knowledge was equally made available as a subject in another section without
any corresponding availability of Christian Religious Knowledge. Is this not a
divisive curriculum that can set the nation on fire? Is this fair to millions
of Christians in this nation?”
He was however faulted by the Federal Ministry of
Education, who called on Nigerians to disregard the claims. The ministry,
argued through its director press, Mrs. Chinenye Ihuoma, that it only designed
a new subject which merged Civic Education (IRS), CRK and Social Studies into
“Religion and National Values”. “Now, a new subject has been introduced, called
Religion and National Values. It is a fusion of religion and civics. I have not
seen the details but in a case where you have subject combinations in the same
period, everyone will attend lectures that correspond with their own religion.
“Arabic and Islamic Studies are not standing alone. Islamic Religious Study and
Christian Religious Study as well as national values will be taught under a new
subject,’’ she said.
Meanwhile, the executive secretary of NERDC, Professor
Ismail Junaidu, speaking on the matter contradicted the position of the
Ministry of Education.
NERDC was said to have claimed that CRK is still taught
in schools as a separate distinct subject with the accompanying Teachers’
Guide. “CRK is not a theme in Civic Education. Civic Education is a distinct
subject on its own which teaches the rudiments of good citizenship,” Junaidu
had stated. But CAN says that the two positions were contradictory. Can
queried, “If the two religions were different subjects in the new curriculum,
why did the Minister have to seek the approval of the agency ‘to make Christian
Religious Knowledge compulsory for all Christians students and Islamic Studies
compulsory for their Muslim counterparts? “Again, if the two religious
studies are being taught separately, why is the agency stating that ‘Efforts
are in top gear to print the Christian Religious Knowledge and Islamic Studies
Curriculum separately in order to maintain their characteristics and
distinctiveness.
“These statements underscore our position that the
subjects were merged before! Do we need to run away from underscoring the
importance of these two subjects which focus on teaching the fear of God, love
for others and so on at a time like when our nation is facing the challenge of
violence and breakup? “If the new curriculum is treating the two religious
subjects separately as being claimed, why do we have a satanic topic in the
Civic Education like ‘IS JESUS THE SON OF GOD’? Or is the Acting President, Prof
Yemi Osinbajo who disclosed to CAN leadership that this was in the curriculum
he earlier saw lying too?”
CAN therefore demanded among other things, that the
implementation of the curriculum be suspended till a workshop is organised
where all the stakeholders must be well represented. This was contained in a
statement released by Pastor Adebayo Oladeji, Special Assistant, Media &
Communications to CAN president.
No comments:
Post a Comment