You can all Wear Hijab to Public Schools, Kwara Govt Tells Muslim Students
- Muslim students in Kwara state can now wear their hijabs to school without fear of harassment
- The approval was given by the state government which said the schools are public properties
- The state explained that the issue has been satisfactorily settled by the Court of Appeal
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The Kwara state government has given its final say on the issue of hijab-wearing among Muslim students in public schools.
According to a statement by the secretary to the state government, Mamman Saba Jibril, and shared on the Twitter page of the Kwara government, the schools became the state's properties since 1974.
Jibril, therefore, stated that the claims by religious organisations to the schools are baseless.
The state added that some schools still have the names of their founding organisations for purely honorary reasons and to also remember their contributions to education.
The government added that this does not in any way mean ownership.
Source: Twitter
According to Jibril, the matter of who owns the academic institutions has been settled at the Court of Appeal.
The statement partly read:
"That some of these schools retain the names of their founding organisations is purely honorary and in memoriam of their contributions to education does not translate to such missionary bodies owning the schools."
Meanwhile, the Kwara state government had again shut down the 10 secondary schools in the state where the use of hijab was disputed.
This was announced on Monday, March 8, in a statement released by the state's ministry of education.
The government's approval of the use of hijab in all schools did not go down well with the Christian leaders in the state.
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Thus, the education ministry’s permanent secretary, Kemi Adeosun, in the latest statement said the schools will remain shut till a later date, citing safety reasons.
The statement reads in part:
“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."
Onyirioha Nnamdi is a graduate of Literature and English Language at the University of Lagos. He is a Politics/Current Affairs Editor who writes on news and political topics for Legit.ng. He brings into his reporting a wealth of experience in creative and analytical writing. Nnamdi has a major interest in local and global politics.
Source: Legit.ng
