Muslim group reacts as Kano govt bans Things Fall Apart, Merchant of Venice, others

The Muslim Rights Concern (MIRIC) has reacted to the recent ban of some textbooks and literature materials in schools by the Kano State Government.

Politics Nigeria reports that the Kano State Government had prohibited a number of textbooks in nursery, primary and secondary schools considered harmful and containing sexually explicit contents

In a statement, MURIC chairman in Kano, Hassan Indabawa, commended the move by the state government, led by Governor Abba Yusuf, to remove lewd teaching materials from the curriculum of basic schools.

“Therefore, all parents, educationists, learners and advocates must embrace and support the initiative so as to tame the alarming rise of immorality amongst the youths in the state,” he said.

Mr Indabawa further said that MIRIC was one of the front line advocates for the removal of all obscene teaching aids from the nation’s educational system.

“MURIC rejoice and commend the government of Kano for doing the needful by prohibiting the use of some selected teaching materials found to contain sexually explicit contents.

“Nigerians are aware that in the last twenty years, classical English literature books and novels such as Macbeth, Merchant of Venice, Things Fall Apart among others, have been removed from our school curricula.

“They have been replaced with sex-related local english literature and other science books containing lewd and pernicious matters to give the unsuspecting young school pupils the wrong impression that self-control is unnecessary.

“As we may equally be aware, one of the negative consequences of this is the sexualisation of primary and secondary school pupils,” he said.

He added that the prohibition of the use of these offensive text books must be backed by appropriate legislation to provide legal framework for sanctioning any erring school authority for effective implementation of the government’s directive.