Hijab in schools: “Resume or face punishment” – Kwara govt. to staff of affected schools

The Kwara State Teaching Service Commission, (TESCOM), has directed the principals, teachers and staff of the 10 schools shut down over the recent hijab controversy to report at the schools today, Friday or face disciplinary actions.

The directive was contained in a  press statement signed by the spokesperson of TESCOM, Amogbonjaye Peter. Accoeding to the directive, the Executive Chairperson of the Commission, Bello Abubakar, said the teachers must resume in order to prepare their final year students for their external examinations.

“Alh. Abubakar also warned all stakeholders against taking law into their hands, stressing that the peace meeting continues between the government and the stakeholders”, the statement further stated.

He said the government regretted the inconveniences the shutdown might have caused the students, saying that the action was taken in the interest of peace.

Recall that for nearly a month, the use of hijab in the grant-aided schools has generated a controversy amongst members of two religious communities in the State, which later led to the closure of ten schools.

The State government had set up a committee to resolve the misunderstanding and later resolved that Muslim students have a right to use the hijab if they so wish. The controversy degenerated into a clash on Wednesday, at Baptist Secondary School, Surulere and some other schools.

The spokesperson of Muslim Stakeholders in Kwara State, Isiaq Abdulkareem, told newsmen that those involved in the clash of Wednesday do not represent the Islamic group.  

Also, the spokesperson of the State’s Police Command, Ajayi Okasanmi, however, stated that the security agency will not tolerate any reoccurrence of the clash.       

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