Date: 2021-03-21

The Federal Government has refrained from making a statement on the controversy over the use of hijab in some schools in Kwara State. The Kwara State government had, last month, ordered the closure of 10 schools, following resurgence of the crisis over the use of hijab.

The affected schools are C&S College, Sabo-Oke; St. Anthony’s Secondary School, Offa Road; ECWA School, Oja Iya; Surulere Baptist Secondary School, and Bishop Smith Secondary School, Agba Dam.

Others are 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 set up a committee to look into the controversy and later announced that all public schools should respect the rights of Muslim students to wear the head covering, if they choose to.

But when asked to clarify the role of the Federal Government in finding a lasting solution to the issue, Education Ministry's Deputy Director, Press and Public Relations, Ben Goong, who disclosed this in an interview with The Guardian yesterday in Abuja, said: "The Ministry of education cannot be reacting to such things.

Education is on the concurrent list. If ministry of education chooses to dabble into every crises in state schools, our heads will break."

An educationist, Uzoma Nzeagwu, argued that there are much more urgent issues in schools than the wearing of hijab.

Nzeagwu explained that the controversy surrounding the wearing of hijab in some schools in Kwara State is largely driven by prejudice.

"Some Muslims feel that their religion compels them to wear hijab because of certain verses in the Qur'an," she said.