Why House Of Reps Ordered Removal Of CRS, IRS From Curriculum

The House of Representatives on Tuesday ordered the removal of Christian Religious Knowledge and Islamic Religious Studies from the secondary school curriculum of the subject, Civic education.

The parliament’s involvement stems from controversial introduction of National Values/Civic Education in school curriculum, which requires children to be taught Islamic Religious Knowledge and Christian Religious Knowledge as compulsory subjects, irrespective of their religious beliefs.

In the previous order, IRK and CRK were taught as independent subjects, leaving Christian students with the choice of taking CRK and Muslims, the IRK.

But a new policy of the Federal Ministry of Education billed to take full effect in September, has replaced the old order with a new curriculum, combining the two subjects and making civic education or national values compulsory.

The green chamber, however, on tuesday opposed the policy on the grounds that it would not only confuse children, but also deny them and their parents the right to a religion of their choice.

The lawmakers said much as civic education or national values could be taught in schools, they should be clearly separated from religion.

The House, which was presided over by the Deputy Speaker, Mr. Yusuff Lasun, took the decision after exhaustively debating a motion moved by a member from Plateau State, Beni Lar.

Lar, who is the Chairman, House Committee on Science and Technology, specifically mentioned that the policy was in breach of Section 10 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), which “makes Nigeria a secular state, and therefore, religion should be separated from national values.”

Lar’s motion read partly, “Under the previous Secondary School Curriculum, which brought a lot of discontent, Civic Education was not a compulsory subject and religious education was taught as Islamic Religious Knowledge and Christian Religious Knowledge, both of which were optional subjects.

“The House notes that the Federal Ministry of Education introduced the revised curriculum without due consultation with parents and stakeholders and the new nine-year Basic Education Curriculum on Religion and National Values consolidated religious education and civic education under National Values and made Civic Education a compulsory subject for the SSCE.”