A Human Rights group, has dragged the Acting President, Yemi Osibanjo; the Minister of Education, Adamu Adamu; and the Federal Ministry of Education, before the Federal High Court, in Abuja, over the alleged removal of Christian Religious Knowledge, CRK, from the curriculum of Nigerian schools.
Post-Nigeria recalls, that the Christian Association of
Nigeria, CAN, had condemned the new secondary school curriculum,
introduced by the Nigerian Educational Research and Development Council,
NERDC.
CAN, had insisted that CRK was removed from schools’
curriculum, even as it asked the Presidency to direct the Ministry of
Education to publish details of the new curriculum on its website, “so
everyone can see what it contains”.
However, the Minister of Education, Adamu Adamu, had
refuted CAN’s claim, saying CRK and IRK are compulsory subjects for
Christian and Muslim students, respectively.
Meanwhile, the group known as Incorporated Trustees of
Kingdom Rights Foundation International, in an Originating Summons it
filed pursuant to section 6 and 10 of the 1999 Constitution as amended,
is praying the court to determine whether or not the removal of CRS, as a
separate subject from the academic curriculum of studies for Nigerian
schools, amounts to breach of rights of Christian children/students to
freely acquire sound Christian education, in line with the
constitutionally guaranteed right of freedom of conscience and religion
and belief.
“Whether or not the removal of CRS as a separate subject
from the academic curriculum of studies for Nigerian schools, is an act
capable to cause religious and ethnic conflict in Nigeria.
Whether or not the new education curriculum which
introduced Islamic Arabic Studies and French Studies as two optional
subjects, and mandating that one of the subjects must be taken by every
student, does not amount to indirect, systematic, and clandestine compulsion on Christian students to take up Islamic Studies in the event of non-availability of a French Teacher, contrary to their religious belief and therefore, tantamount to systematic Islamization of Nigeria, in view of section 10 of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
student, does not amount to indirect, systematic, and clandestine compulsion on Christian students to take up Islamic Studies in the event of non-availability of a French Teacher, contrary to their religious belief and therefore, tantamount to systematic Islamization of Nigeria, in view of section 10 of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
“Whether or not the Honourable Minister of Education has
the power to remove CRS as independent academic subject in Nigerian
schools.
As well as: “Whether
or not the inclusion of Islamic Religious Knowledge as a separate
subject of study in the new education curriculum, without corresponding
availability of Christian Religious Knowledge, amounts to systematic
denial of Christian students the rights to acquire sound Christian
Education and good moral values, as guaranteed in the 1999 Constitution
of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.”
Upon determination of
the questions, the plaintiff is urging the court to among other things;
declare that the removal of CRS as a separate subject from the academic
curriculum of studies for Nigerian schools, is an act capable of
causing religious and ethnic conflict in the country.
Likewise, a declaration that the Minister of Education,
lacked the power to remove CRS as an independent academic study in
Nigerian schools.
The plaintiff wants: “An order of the court, setting aside
the controversial and ill-conceived education curriculum, that
deliberately excluded CRS as a separate course of study in Nigerian
schools.”
Also: “An order of
court, perpetually restricting the 2nd and 3rd defendants (Minister of
Education and Federal Ministry of Education), from illegally,
arbitrarily, and unconstitutionally altering, reviewing, amending,
varying, or in any manner, changing Nigerian primary, secondary, or
tertiary education curriculum, in a manner that will exclude, expunge,
erase, remove, or in any manner, alter Christian Religious Studies.”
The Attorney General
of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Mr. Abubakar Malami, SAN, was
equally cited as the 4th defendant in the suit marked
FHC/ABJ/CS/570/2017.
Meanwhile, no date has been fixed for hearing of the suit, which is yet to be assigned to any Judge.
@uptimistpeters
No comments:
Post a Comment