After three months, Nigerian school shut over hijab reopens | EduCeleb
EduCeleb
2nd June 2022
For the past three months, Oyun Baptist High, Ijagbo has been shut owing to crisis over the use of hijab there.
The government owned school located in Kwara State, North Central Nigeria has been a subject of the controversy which led to the death of a Muslim student when some Christians objected to the use of hijab by female students there.
Kwara State government directed the reopening of the school from Friday, 3rd June, 2022.
In a statement, Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Education and Human Capital Development, Mrs Mary K Adeosun directed the ministry , all teachers and students to return to their classrooms while the government white paper committee continues the efforts to address pending issues related to the recent disturbance in the public school.
“Similarly, the ministry restates government’s position that any Muslim schoolgirl who desires to wear the hijab is allowed to do so in all public schools, including in Oyun Baptist High School Ijagbo, which is owned by the state government and run with public resources,” it emphasised.
“The ministry’s decision to reopen the school is one of the government’s multi-pronged approaches to return normalcy to the school.
“All stakeholders in the area are urged to give peace a chance and to respect the law.
“The government will not hesitate to shut the school again, among other things, if anything threatens the safety of the little children.
“The ministry welcomes all our students back to school, and urges them to maximise their time in the classrooms, while relevant authorities also help them to fill any gaps.”