Gov Orders Christian Religious Studies Back To Northern State

Niger State governor, Dr. Babangida Aliyu has given approval for the immediate recruitment of Christian Religious teachers to commence the teaching of the subject in all public schools in the state.
Besides, proprietors of all private schools in the state have also been directed to re-introduce religious studies into their curriculum.
The teaching of Christian religious studies had been tactically suspended in all public schools in the state during the last administration under the guise that there were no qualified CRK teachers in the state.
However, chairman of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) Niger state chapter, Rev. Dauda Maigari during a courtesy visit to the state governor with his members raised the issue on the need to recruit CRK teachers whom he said are readily available to take up the appointments.
Addressing journalists at the end of its weekly Executive Council meeting in Minna, the state Head of Service, Barrister Abass Bello said the governor has graciously approved the recruitment of 259 Christian Religious knowledge teachers for all public schools in the state.
The Head of service explained that the CRK teachers will form part of the 6,000 unemployed graduates to be recruited immediately out of the 17,000 graduates that registered for the Graduate Engagement Scheme.
Barrister Bello said out of the 6000 to be employed, about 1000 of them would be made to teach Christian and Islamic religious knowledge as part of the steps taken by the state government to bring back morals into the youths.
“The state government has taken this step as a deliberate way of restoring morality and discipline back into the youths as a way of denouncing crime and toeing the path of peace,” he explained.
He said all the 6000 successful will undergo 3 months training during which the University and Higher National Diploma holders will be paid N10,000 monthly allowance while those with Diploma and National Certificate in Education (NCE) will also receive N8000 monthly before being formerly absorbed under the civil service rules.
It was reliably gathered that most of the 6000 underlisted will be posted to various schools to teach while others will be engaged in agriculture.
“Both Christians and Muslims in the various schools will be  encouraged to study both religion in order to have an insight of  the two religions  as a way appreciating the religions and one another in future,” the Head of Service remarked.
According to him the students may not even sit for either of the two  papers  in their WAEC and NECO examinations but just make them have the knowledge of the two religions.