Catholic bishops in Nigeria have issued a plea to governing authorities in Kano, Kebbi, Katsina and Bauchi states to re-think the decision to close all schools during Ramadan.
The decision to close schools for the Islamic holy month came 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 in the country already struggle to attend school regularly and closing the schools 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 into account, the numbers affected are in the hundreds of thousands.
Bishop Musa said, “The announcement to close the schools came as a complete surprise to us. It is unprecedented.
“We must understand that education and religious obligations are not strange bed fellows or mutually exclusive. They go hand in hand.
“The issue should 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 right to education and “jeopardises the education and future 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 citizens.”
Critics of the closure note that even Saudi Arabia does not close its schools during Ramadan, although schools in the Wahhabi nation do operate on an altered timetable.
There have also been claims that the closure of schools for Ramadan could be a violation of Nigeria’s secular constitution, which states that neither Nigeria nor any of its states can adopt an official state religion.
