The Kwara State government has deployed security operatives to the 10 public/grant-aided missions schools in Ilorin, the state capital to enforce its earlier announced postponement of their resumption date indefinitely over irreconcilable differences on the wearing of Hijab.
The state government had very early yesterday morning ordered the indefinite closure of the schools billed to resume yesterday.
In a statement announcing the schools’ closure, Permanent Secretary Ministry of Education, Mrs. Kemi Adeosun said in a statement titled ‘Hijab: 10 Kwara schools to remain shut for safety reasons.‘
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‘The Ministry of Education and Human Capital Development wishes to inform members of the public that the 10 government schools where the use of Hijab is disputed will remain shut until a later date. This decision has been taken for safety reasons. The schools include C&S College Sabo Oke, ST. Anthony College, Offa Road, ECWA School, Oja Iya, Surulere Baptist Secondary School, Bishop Smith Secondary School, Agba Dam, CAC Secondary School Asa Dam road, St. Barnabas Secondary School Sabo Oke, St. John School Maraba, St. Williams Secondary School Taiwo Isale, and St. James Secondary School Maraba.
‘The government, therefore, directs schoolchildren and teachers in the affected schools to remain at home until the contrary is announced.
‘The government remains committed to fairness, pluralism, and respect for the law and rights of every citizen at all times,’ the statement said At the last count, the Baptist Church which has about 23 schools scattered in the state, ECWA, and Cherubim and Seraphim have insisted that they would resist Muslim pupils to wear Hijab to their schools and demanded the return of their schools by the government.
The current Hijab controversy began penultimate Thursday, after series of consultations with stakeholders, when the Kwara State government approved that interested Muslim students attending Christian public schools in the state could wear Hijab to schools, stressing that the right of every child in public schools to freedom of worship.
Meanwhile, a visit to Bishop Smith’s school, St Anthony school, C&S school, among others observed armed soldiers with pilot vehicles stationed, at the main entrance of the affected schools.
There were also plain-cloth security men seen around the schools keeping vigil. It was gathered that some Christian leaders who mobilized students to the affected schools were dispersed by the security operatives, likewise some students who appeared in Hijab.
AFRICA DAILY NEWS, NEW YORK
