Kwara Hijab crisis: 10 affected schools to resume Monday

Kwara state government has directed the ten affected Christian named schools, in Hijab controversy, to resume academic activities Monday in order make up for the period they stayed at home while the crisis lasted. All other schools across the state are currently on holiday, and will resume on April 26, 2021.

Among other measures earlier taken by the government when the crisis ended was for the students to wait for extra hours after the normal school hours, with government providing light lunch for them,while the teachers too were promised stipend for the extra hours.

Vanguard recall that the students in these affected schools during the controversy couldn’t go to school while their counterparts in other schools across the state continued academic excercise unhindered. The crisis erupted when the churches and missionary who purportedly own these schools had opposed the use of hijab in their schools as pronounced by the government, which insisted that female students should be allowed to practice their religion since the schools are funded by the government.

The hijab crisis attracted national and international dimensions until it ended, and the students were allowed to wear hijab while the churches among other resolutions were also promised that the schools would be returned to them. The affected schools closed by the government are C&S College Sabo Oke, ST. Anthony College, Offa Road, ECWA School, Oja Iya, Surulere Baptist Secondary School and Bishop Smith Secondary School, Agba Dam.

Others include, CAC Secondary School Asa Dam, St. Barnabas Secondary School Sabo Oke, St. John School Maraba, and St. Williams Secondary School Taiwo Isale, St. James Secondary School Maraba, all in Ilorin, the state capital. The resumption is contained in a press statement issued by,Mrs Mary Kemi Adeosun, Permanent secretary Ministry of Education and Human Capital Development made available to journalists in ilorin on Sunday. It reads as follow, ”This is to inform parents/guardians and teachers that the 2020/2021 Third Term Accademic Session for the 10 schools affected in the recent hijaab debate starts on Monday, 12th April 2021.

“This is part of the government’s efforts to bring the students in these schools up to speed in whatever they may have missed when their schools were shut. Vanguard