By Mujidat Oyewole
The Council of Muslim Organisations (CMO) has called on the Kwara Government to make religious studies compulsory in schools to rejuvenate national values.
The organisation flayed the present system of putting religious studies an elective status in school curriculum.
This is contained in a Communiqué issued by the Secretary of CMO, Dr Hadi Moshood, on Wednesday in Ilorin, after a one-day workshop.
“A nation that does not place high premium on the religious education of its children is bound to be heading for a doom, as children should be made to compulsorily study the religion of their parents.
“This will further strengthen the children morally and enforce discipline,” it said.
The workshop was organised by CMO in collaboration with Jama’atu Nasril Islam (JNI) and National Association for Teachers of Arabic and Islamic Studies (NATAIS) for Teachers of Arabic and Islamic Studies in Kwara.
The workshop was organised to serve as a refresher course for the Arabic and Islamic Studies teachers with a view to update their knowledge and to complement government efforts at training.
The group however commended the ad ministration of Gov. AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq for the constitution of the Board of Arabic and Islamic Studies.
The council called on the government to make the board, under the Chairmanship of Prof. Moshood Jimba, functional by providing it with all the necessary enabling environment to discharge its function.
“It has been observed that the present syllabi of Arabic and Islamic Studies is long overdue for review.
“The Ministry of Education is therefore called upon to put machinery in motion for the review of Arabic and Islamic Studies Syllabi at the primary and post primary level for the children interest.”
The council further called on government to re-introduce rural allowances for teachers, to encourage teachers of Arabic and Islamic Studies to take up the responsibility of going to the rural areas for teaching the subjects.
It also called on teachers to take their job more serious and renew their dedication and commitment to duty.
Besides, the council urged the Federal Government to rejig the security architecture of the country. (NAN)
