The Kwara state government on Monday ordered religious groups to discontinue any form of preaching in public schools.
The directive, which is effective immediately, is contained in a statement signed by Hajia Fatimoh Bisola Ahmed, the Commissioner for Education and Human Capital Development.
She directed that prayers should be said silently on the morning assembly across public schools in the state.
The statement reads: “It has come to the notice of the Kwara State Government that some religious organisations have been going to public schools in the state to preach during the morning Assembly.
“The Ministry wants to say it categorically that no religious organisation is permitted to go to public schools for preaching or engage in any religious activities during morning Assembly.
“The Ministry therefore directs that prayers should be said silently on the morning Assembly across public schools in the state.
“The government appeals to all school heads and other stakeholders to adhere strictly to this directive, which is to maintain peace and decorum in our schools.
“All Principals, Headteachers and Education Secretaries should take please note.”
To force public schools into a pattern of silent prayer and no preaching during school hours is just an indirect way of attacking the impact f devotional pray and sermon to the pupils or students. What can we say is really wrong with students praying openly to their God for help and other needs? If we are in a country that have a national Pledge with an heartfelt cry “So help me God” which of course we can’t say the drafters didn’t mean it, or that they never understood the severity of such need. Then what can we say is ill about praying or preaching during school devotional hours? Are there not better policies to implement to better the lives of the students? The truth is that we have the sorts of governments that forsakes the basic things to be done for the betterment of citizens and go on spending their time with things that are not even a problem. To stop prayer is to avert the many blessing student would garner through that exercise and trying to stop preaching is weak attempt to mute the gospel and really that is a fight they can never be win.
Like serious, this system is not worthy of adoption . just because if trully the fundamental human rights are still under normalcy;i mean right and freedom of choice, life , religion and sundry, however this shouldnt have been abided to.
Moreso, education without the knowledge of God is nothingness, no wonder holy bible stated it, ” my people are perish for lack of knowledge.
This is the problem we are creating for ourselves. We keep ourselves crippled with religion. In a situation where religions are taking over what is not theirs, in a situation where churches and mosques are not enough to preach and impact religious doctrines into the children, in a situation where we have determined to divide the world along religious line, in a situation where religious identity is considered more significant than behavioural qualities of the students, in a situation where the government gets confused of the pressure of the religionists on the education/school system this is will be the malarious outcome we’ll get therefrom.