By Princess Simon (Bureau Chief North Central, in Minna)
The Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Niger state chapter, has appealed to the Governor Mohammed Umar Bago led administration to revisit the issue of religious discrepancies by recruiting teachers to teach Christian Religious Knowledge (CRK) in public schools.
Employing CRK is not only necessary as a way of giving equal opportunity to the two major religions, but will go a long way to instilling the desired right morals in pupils for better Nigeria tomorrow, the state Chairman, Most Rev. Dr. Bulus Dauwa Yohanna stated.
Dr. Bulus Yohanna who is also the Catholic Bishop of Kontagora Diocese made the declaration at the event to mark the 45th anniversary of the National Conference of the National Association of Christian Religious Educators of Nigeria (NACREN) in Minna, the state capital.
Teaching CRK as a subject in Public Schools can help address huge percentage of the social vices amongst teeming youths in the state.
Speaking on the topic, ‘Who is Afraid of CRK in public schools?’, the CAN chairman said it is wrong for muslims to have more than enough teachers teaching in public schools while denying Christians the same opportunity.
Most Rev. Yohanna argued that the government needed to hear and act to the several calls on the need to bridge the gap by re-installing the teaching of CRK in public schools as the IRK by engaging qualified teachers to teach in the schools for equity, justice and fairness to the entire citizenry.
Expressing regrets that the issue has been lingering and there has been something like a running battle between successive governments in the state and the CAN since the year 2003, Yohanna said it was unfair for jobless CRK teachers to remain unemployed when public schools have vacancies for them.
The CAN chairman recalled that, in 2004 when there were about 152 public schools, there were only 120 CRK teachers in the state, adding that, “in 2004 when Niger hosted the National Conference of CRK Teachers, the statistics given to us by government was 220 CRK teachers including the non qualified teachers for over 450 schools".
"In the 2016 statistical data, the state needed about 300 CRK teachers for the over 300 schools in the state. But as at today, most of the CRK teachers have either retired or some of them who are still in active service have been converted to teach Social Studies or any other subjects.
"This has been a big challenge and CAN which has in the past, engaged volunteer teachers and paid them stipends to fill the gap. Whereas the Christians are being denied teachers, the story is different with the Islamic Religious Knowledge (IRK). They have qualified teachers to teach in most of the schools".
The cleric also argued that the best ways to tackle youth restiveness, drug abuse, waywardness, disrespect and other vices in the society is to teach our children the way of God, so that they are not influenced by worldly affairs.
Bishop Yohanna further recalled that, "The last time I checked, I discovered that, teaching of CRK in both primary and secondary schools and even tertiary institutions has become an issue in the state.
"And so, I asked, who is afraid of CRK in public schools? I discovered that most of the schools do not have teachers, even the State College of Education, Minna that should produce CRK teachers do not have a large number of students, because some of these students are not encouraged to apply to study CRK mainly because after graduation, they fear that they may not get employed and so they go for other subjects.
“What is good for the goose is also sauce for the gander", the CAN Chairman said, as he reminded Governor Bago about his promises to ensure equity and fairness for all Nigerlites.
Meanwhile, the National President of NACREN, Rev. Dr. Reuben Maiture, has called on the federal government to focus more on subjects that would shape the lives and character of the youths and future leaders by laying more emphasis on the CRK as it was done in other fields.
“The segregation, marginalization and so much of unfair treatment against CRK teachers by all three tiers of governments should stop forthwith.
"While the government emphasizes on the ICT, science and technology, entrepreneur sectors and so on, Maiture wondered why subjects like CRK have been relegated to the background when it became obvious that the subject would help in transforming the society for the better”. NNL.
