WEDNESDAY March 5, 2025 |TheNewsDESK
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Stakeholders yesterday came down hard on the state governors that directed the closure of schools for five weeks because of the Muslim fasting period, arguing that the decision would affect students preparing for external examinations, TheSUN reports.

In their reactions to the directive, the National Parent Teacher Association of Nigeria (NAPTAN), the Association for Formidable Educational Development (AFED) and Education Rights Campaign (ERC) asked the governors to reverse the decision.

They said the decision would affect the preparation of students for the May/June 2025 West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE), Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) and the Senior School Certificate Examination (SSCE).

The National President of NAPTAN, Alhaji Haruna Danjuma described the decision as sad, saying it would create confusion in the system.

He reminded the governors that not all students and even teachers are Muslims and kicked against the politicisation of education.

He said: “If the governors close schools, including private ones for Ramadan, let them remember that not all students are Muslims. What happened to children that are Christians?

“Currently our children are preparing for WASSCE, UTME and SSCE. It is not the right decision. Why don’t the state governors close the whole state? With this development, students will not be able to cover the syllabus. That is why we tell them not to politicise education.”

According to him, with the decision of the state governors, parents can sue the proprietors of private schools because they have a contract with them and it is a breach of contract to keep their wards at home for five weeks.

He asked: “What will the children do at home for five weeks? We suffered COVID-19, insecurity and now Ramadan. We are asking the governors to reverse the decision because it is counterproductive.”

Danjuma wondered how private school proprietors would pay teachers for not working for five weeks since the governors can afford to pay their teachers.

In his reaction, AFED President, Mr. Emmanuel Orji said: “I am not happy with this development but what can people in our status do as the 1999 Constitution enlist education on the concurrent list, which clearly puts it on the table of the governors.

“I am sad about the negative impact of this long holiday. Within this period, there will be no schooling. We must not forget that some of these students are preparing for external examinations, such as those in SSS 111, JSS111, Basic 6 and UTME.

“When we consider the fact that in Saudi Arabia and other Arab countries, where one can consider the headquarters of Islamic faith, they did not shut down schools. One would then begin to worry as to why this decision is taken.”

Orji said spiritual exercises in Nigeria such as Ramadan and Christmas should be such a time that must integrate and reflect our faith without necessarily shutting down human growth systems such as schools especially with the myriad of challenges facing the nation’s education sector.

He added: “UNESCO said there are over 20 million out-of-school children in Nigeria. Tracking them back to school has remained a huge challenge and one is further creating opportunities for those in schools to join the number out there, some may not eventually return back.”