While the students lament their plight and concerns regarding their inability to pursue their education through no fault of theirs, their teachers, religious leaders and the government are entangled in the argument over the use of the hijab in grant-aided schools that are affiliated to Christians in the state.
The genesis of the crisis
The hijab conundrum between the Muslims and the Christians which began in 2013 has defied the intervention of the immediate past administration in the state and is presently giving the incumbent some headaches. From 2013, the case which had gone to the lower court that year went to appeal in 2016 and is before the Supreme Court, according to the chairman of the Kwara State Chapter of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Bishop Paul Olawoore.
How Hijab controversy threatens Kwara s harmony vanguardngr.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from vanguardngr.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
The Kwara State Government has shut 10 grant-aided missionary schools indefinitely as a result of the controversy over the use of Hijab. The government had initially approved the use of Hijab and directed the schools to reopen on Monday, March 8, 2021. Oil price hits $71.28 per barrel Confusion as Army retrieves uniforms, ID cards […]
Religious Tension in Ilorin over Hijab, Kwara Govt Postpones Resumption of 10 Schools thisdaylive.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from thisdaylive.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
By Hammed Shittu
There is no doubt that the current impasse in Kwara – with the sobriquet State of Harmony – over the order of the state government to all public schools, including schools founded by Christian missions in the state, to allow female Muslim students wear Hijab to school, has heightened tension among stakeholders in the two leading religions – Islam and Christianity.
The hijab controversy, according to THISDAY checks, may not only inhibit peaceful co-existence and affect academic performance of the students who are currently at home due to the decision of the state government to close 10 schools founded by Christian missions, if care is not taken, may lead to academic failure among the students in the upcoming National Examination Council (NECO) and West African Examination Council (WAEC) exams, and even snowball into religious crisis in the state.