Hijab: Kwara Reopens Oyun Baptist High School

Hammed Shittu in Ilorin

Kwara State Government has ordered the reopening of Oyun Baptist High School Ijagbo in Oyun Local Government Area of the state on June 3, 2022.

Consequently, the state government also said that any Muslim schoolgirl who desires to wear the hijab is allowed to do so in all public schools, including in Oyun Baptist High School in Ijagbo, which is owned by the state government and run with public resources. The school was closed down almost three months ago following the crisis that ensued in the school over the putting on of hijab in the school.

During the crisis, one person was killed while  many people sustained injuries following the clash that happened between the Muslims and Christian faithful in Ijagbo over the alleged refusal by the management of the school to putting on hijab.The development, however, prompted the state government to set up committee of inquiry to look into the issue.

 However, in a statement issued in Ilorin yesterday, which was signed by the Permanent Secretary of the state Ministry of Education, Mrs. Mary Kemi Adeosun, the government stated that: “All teachers and students are directed to return to their classrooms while the government White Paper Committee continues the efforts to address pending issues related to the recent disturbance in the public school.

“Similarly, the ministry restates government’s position that any Muslim schoolgirl who desires to put on the hijab is allowed to do so in all public schools, including in Oyun Baptist High School Ijagbo, which is owned by the state government and run with public resources.

“The ministry’s decision to reopen the school is one of the government’s multi-prong approaches to return normalcy to the school.

“All stakeholders in the area are urged to give peace a chance and to respect the law. The government will not hesitate to shut the school again, among other things, if anything threatens the safety of the school children.

“The ministry welcomes all our students back to school, and urges them to maximise their time in the classrooms, while the relevant authorities will also help them to fill any gap.