The Christian Association of Nigeria, CAN, in Northern Nigeria has lauded the political will of the Katsina State Government for approving the recruitment of Christian Religious Studies, CRS, teachers and introducing the subject in public schools across the state.
Rev. John Joseph Hayab, Chairman of Northern CAN, in a statement described the move as a bold step towards restoring moral values among young people in the state.
He said, “The development, though a constitutional responsibility of every government, has become rare in the region due to the systematic neglect of Christian education.”
The Katsina initiative, alongside the governors of Niger and Borno States, according to the Chairman, represented an important step towards ensuring that children from both Christian and Muslim backgrounds receive moral and religious instruction for their proper future lives.
CAN commended Governor Dikko Umaru Radda for showing leadership in that regard, noting that it should not be something to celebrate because it is the duty of every northern governor, lamenting that unfortunately, Christians have had to struggle for such recognition.
Hayab observed that ensuring religious education for all faiths is not an act of charity but a right that promotes peace, mutual respect, and the moral upbringing of children, saying that denying such opportunities only fuels moral decline and increases the risk of social disorder.
CAN noted that when children are not taught to fear God and live by moral values, they grow into a menace to the whole community and not just to one religious group, stressing that refusing to allow the teaching of either CRS or Islamic Studies in any part of the North is a disservice to the future.
It called on other northern governors, particularly those who have yet to make provisions for CRS in public schools, to follow the examples of Katsina, Niger, and Borno States, and also urged Christian governors in the region to ensure that Islamic Studies teachers are provided for Muslim pupils in their states, as fairness in religious education fosters social harmony.
Northern CAN hails CRS approval in Katsina, tasks govs on religious balance in schools
