Attempts to get answers to some questions
bothering on the Kwara State Government’s seeming varying of the Basic
Education Curriculum approved for Nigerian schools, to the disadvantage of
Christian pupils, have not succeeded. Save for an autoresponder on the
Governor’s Facebook Messenger account that says he will get back shortly; there
have not been responses to messages sent through his personal and official
websites’ Contact Us facilities. Attempts by phone and through Twitter also
failed. The questions are therefore being aired openly here in the hope that
somebody will see it and draw the attention of the relevant officials of the
Kwara State government to this:
Your Excellency, Sir,
You
are no doubt aware of the on-going Curriculum Controversy about which the
national umbrella body of Christians, the Christian Association of Nigeria has
mentioned your state as one of the culprits.
Specifically,
CAN accuses your administration of being complicit in the unilateral amendment
of the national curriculum to the advantage of Moslems and the detriment of
Christians. CAN also says it has evidence that Christian students are being
physically tortured to take Islamic Religious Knowledge in your State.
All
of which remains in the realm of allegations until it is proven otherwise.
However,
the Timetable of the on-going Basic Education Certificate Examinations reveals
some worrisome issues which seem to confirm the fears of CAN.
A
perusal of the Timetable signed on behalf of the Hon Commissioner of Education
and Human Capital Development by Alhaji Sabi Ibrahim indicate the following:
· On Wednesday, July 12, Religion and
National Values (KW/BECE/304) is scheduled for 9-11am; Islamic Religious Knowledge (KW/BECE/204)
is scheduled for the next day (July 13) at 10:30am;
·
On the same day, Arabic CAIS (KW/BECE/204),
Arabic JIS (KW/BECE/205) and Islamic Studies (KW/BECE/407) are scheduled for
9am, 10:30am and 12noon respectively;
·
Christian Religious Knowledge is
conspicuously missing. Even if it has been subsumed in Religious and National
Values, it would be contrary to the national curriculum which provides that CRK
and IRK be studied side-by-side within RNV. So, an undue advantage would have
been conferred on IRK to the marginalisation of CRK.
·
Also, Arabic was supposed to be offered as
a substitute to French. French is NOT on the Timetable.
·
The status of Islamic History is also a
little difficult to understand.
Your
Excellency, you may wish to educate the public on these observations so that
the fear being expressed in many circles that this is in pursuit of a national
Islamisation agenda, and that Kwara is simply being used to test the waters, is
laid to rest.
May
I thank you most sincerely for your kind response to this humble inquiry on a
matter that is capable of giving you, your government, your state and the
political party you belong to, a not-so-savoury image.
Yours
Faithfully – in the Service of our Nation,
REMI AKANO
Editor/Publisher, KINGDOMPeople magazine/
KINGDOMWatch News
