Nigerians have condemned the shutting of over 11.5 million schoolchildren in not less than four states in the northern region for Ramadan, describing the act of the state governments as outrageous.
The governments of Katsina, Kebbi, Bauchi, and Kano States have directed all public and private schools to proceed on holiday for the whole month of Ramadan when Muslims observe strict fasting.
The four-state government explained that the holiday allows school children, teachers, and other stakeholders to observe the holy month, which begins on Saturday, March 1, 2025.
According to Ahmed Idris, the chief press secretary to Kebbi State’s governor the state government approved the break to allow the Muslim communities in the state’s educational institutions to fully engage in fasting, prayers, and other religious activities associated with Ramadan.
“The government urges all educational establishments to adhere to this schedule and wishes the Muslim faithful a spiritually fulfilling Ramadan.”
Jessica Osuere, founder and chief executive officer at RubbiesHub Educational Services said it is an ill-informed decision to close schools down because of fasting in a secular state.
“It is unfair and a great injustice, especially to those children in such schools who are not Moslems! Christians also fast, and nobody shuts down school for them.
“If you are shutting down schools for Ramadan, why not shut down markets, banks, companies also? Those are the places you should have matured people who should be observing the fast not innocent school children,” she said.
Osuere described the idea as a retrogressive one that undermines the importance of education in those states, especially, according to her, in those states, where they always leverage being ‘educationally disadvantaged ‘ to cheat the rest of the country with the quota system.
She frowned at the fact that while Arabic nations where Islam originated are moving forward educationally, using cutting-edge technologies, some states in Nigeria are using religion as a weapon of stagnation for their people.
“They have wasted 30 days or so of the children because of fasting, when schools resume, this will affect the calendar and with more public holidays ahead, the children will keep forgetting what they have learned,” she noted.
Isaiah Ogundele, an educationist decried the fact this backward idea is coming from the governors, who are elected to lead the people, and wondered why a leader would come up with such a policy.
“If that’s their governors’ priority that would make those children become leaders of tomorrow, that would be able to stand and compete with their counterpart in the world; good for them.
“All I know is that even if they closed their schools for five months; the examination bodies will not shift ground for any state that will draw them backward,” he said.
Elizabeth Ohaka, an early childhood educationist described the idea as preposterous and myopic!
Ohaka wondered how Nigeria being a secular state would be able to marry such an ideology that breeds religious bigotry in the children.
The question begging for answers according to Ohaka, is how workable is this to achieving uninterrupted education the federal government is agitating for?
Friday Erhabor, a parent, describes the act as hypocritical; and that even in Saudi Arabia, schools are not shut down for Ramadan.
“We value religion more than development, it is so sad and completely unacceptable,” he said.
Ahmed Rabiu, an Islamic faithful said the Islamic religion cherishes knowledge, and that imposing a clampdown to schools for Ramadan, is not part of the teachings, and fears it will lead to the children being academically backward.
“Ramadan should not stop education, after all the children are not doing arduous work that requires physical strength in schools. The government could have reduced the closing hours, as a measure to allow them time to refresh.
“The shutting of schools is not in line with the teachings of the Holy Koran, Islam says, “Seek for Knowledge”, he said.
Rabiu called on the federal government to step in and do the needful.
“I know that education is under concurrent law, hence in such a situation, I expect the federal government to step in, because there are certainly some children who are not Muslims in those schools,” he said.
Bamidele Ajao, another Islamic faithful said though the tenets of the religion demand devotion of time to worship and pray for at least one month of Ramadan; it should not be a reason for a state to shut schools.
“Nigeria is a secular state, so, it’s not ideal to shut schools bearing in mind that everyone is not a Muslim,” he said. (BusinessDay)
