CAN meet Saraki, demand reinstatement of CRK in curriculum

Members of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) have demanded the immediate intervention of the Senate to ensure the reinstatement of Christian Religious Knowledge in the country’s education curriculum.

CAN at a meeting with Senate President, Senator Bukola Saraki in his office on Wednesday, also called for the abolishment of obnoxious laws which infringe on religious freedom, noting that there is urgent need for Government to involve all stakeholders in the review of Nigerian education curriculum.

The Association led by its Secretary General, Charles Adeyinka, condemned a situation where the Education Resource Center (ERC) reviews the curriculum at it’s whims and Caprice to the detriment of a section of Nigerians.
“We are particularly worried about some of the contents of the curriculum, there should be genuine respect for our constitution, and therefore we demand that obnoxious laws that infringe on religious freedom be abolished,” he said.

CAN also condemned what it described as treatment meted out to students in some parts of the country especially in the north for refusing to study Islamic Religious Study. Adeyinka informed the Senate that most States in the North have for the past 20 years refused to employ CRK teachers despite efforts by CAN.

He urged the National Assembly to take urgent steps to redress such issues that seek to undermine the collective interest and unity of Nigeria.

However, Saraki in his response blamed the problem on former president Goodluck Jonathan’s administration even as he assured that the Senate will look into the matter and ensure that the rights of all Nigerians are respected in line with the constitution.

The Senate President urged Nigerians to continue to pursue and seek solutions to problems confronting the nation, even as he advised on the need to always run a background check on how such problems emerged.

He explained that the report on how to reduce the number of subjects in the nation’s education curriculum during the Jonathan administration led to the present situation.

Although the Senate President did not condemn the policy, he blamed it on the implementation, noting however that it was not done in preference one religion against the other.

“We are in a much tensed country and it just takes a little misinterpretation to heat up the system,”
Saraki said but however reassured that the Senate will look into the matter with the aim of resolving it.