Catholic bishops in Nigeria have issued a plea to governing authorities in Kano, Kebbi, Katsina and Bauchi states to re-think the choice to shut all schools during Ramadan.
The decision to shut schools for the Islamic holy month got here as a shock to many and was described as “unprecedented”. The closures affect not only Muslim schools, but Christian and even private schools not run by the authorities.
Christian leaders, teaching unions and student representatives were highly critical of the move, with some noting that many children within the country already struggle to attend school frequently and shutting the faculties would only put their education at further risk.
Bishop Gerald Mamman Musa of Katsina told Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) that in Katsina state alone, the closure had impacted as many as 2,500 students attending eight different Catholic institutions. It is believed that taking all impacted areas under consideration, the numbers affected are within the tons of of hundreds.
Bishop Musa said, “The announcement to shut the faculties got here as a whole surprise to us. It is unprecedented.
“We must understand that education and spiritual obligations will not be strange bed fellows or mutually exclusive. They go hand in hand.
“The issue must be guided by logic, dialogue and wisdom.”
The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria has also issued a public letter which says the closures represent an attack on the appropriate to education and “jeopardises the education and way forward for tens of millions of Nigerian children”.
The bishops wrote, “We urge the governors of the affected states to reconsider this decision and explore alternative arrangements that respect the rights and freedoms of all residents.”
Critics of the closure note that even Saudi Arabia doesn’t close its schools during Ramadan, although schools within the Wahhabi nation do operate on an altered timetable.
There have also been claims that the closure of faculties for Ramadan might be a violation of Nigeria’s secular structure, which states that neither Nigeria nor any of its states can adopt an official state religion.
