Kwara State government approves use of hijab in public schools

Kwara State Government has approved the use of hijab in all public schools in the state, barely a week after 10 schools were shut down over a hijab controversy.

The state government had ordered the temporary closure of 10 grant-aided secondary schools in Ilorin; C&S College, ST. Anthony College, ECWA School, Surulere Baptist Secondary School, Bishop Smith Secondary School, CAC Secondary School, St. Barnabas Secondary School, St. John School, St. Williams Secondary School and St. James Secondary School, after a meeting between leaders of the Christian and Muslim communities ended in deadlock.

While the Muslim leaders insisted their students should be allowed to use the head covering in accordance with the Nigerian Constitution, their Christian counterparts demanded respect for the ‘religious background’ of the schools.

However in a statement released by the Secretary to the Kwara State Government Mamma Jibril on Thursday evening, the state government announced that it has approved the use of hijab in all public schools in the state and directed the 10 schools which were shut down last week to reopen on Monday March 1.

The statement reads in part;

“Consequently, the government hereby acknowledges and approves the right of the Muslim schoolgirl to wear the hijab, and directs the Ministry of Education and Human Capital Development to come up with a uniform hijab for all public/ grant-aided schools, which will be the accepted mode of head covering in schools. Any willing schoolgirl with the approved (uniform) hijab shall have the right to wear same in public/grant-aided schools.

“Also, the government affirms the right of every child in public schools to freedom of worship. The government hereby directs that the affected 10 schools should reopen to commence classes on Monday 8th March 2021.