Senate Education Panel To Investigate CRK Removal Saga

The Senate President, Dr. Abubakar Bukola Saraki, on Wednesday, revealed that the legislative upper chamber will commence probe into the circumstances leading to the removal of Christian Religious Knowledge [CRK] from school curriculum.

Saraki gave assurance when a delegation of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) paid him a courtesy visit in Abuja.

His Special Assistant on Public Affairs, Mr Isa Mohammed, in a statement said Saraki urged all stakeholders in the education sector to remain calm on the new 9-year Basic Education Curriculum.

According to Mr Mohammed, this will enable the National Assembly look into the various issues involved.

Saraki, meanwhile, assured the delegation that the Senate Committee on Basic Education would investigate the complaints with a view to making it acceptable and satisfactory to all religions.

The Senate President explained the background leading to the introduction of the policy.

He said the process began in 2010, when the administration of former President Goodluck Jonathan came up with a series of reforms to reduce the number of subjects in the school curriculum.

He said: “As leaders, we must continue to seek and find solutions to problems. 

“You will remember that in 2010, the past administration came up with reforms on how to reduce the number of subjects at the basic education level.

“There were about 20 subjects at that time, and subsequently they were reduced to 12. In the process of implementing that reform, we have this problem. 

“Why I am saying this, is so we don’t leave here and believe that it was done to favour one religion over the other.

“Now the reform is clearly not working. So our responsibility is to look into that reform and make it work. 

“I am sure that there was no intention to make one group feel disadvantaged with this new school curriculum. 

“This is why this Senate will direct our Committee on education to look at the reform and find out why it is not working with the relevant stakeholders,” he said.

Earlier in his speech, the leader of the delegation, Prof. Charles Adeyinka Adisa, who represented the CAN National President, called for the intervention of the National Assembly.

This is to ensure genuine respect for the Constitution, as well as, “abolition of obnoxious laws that infringe on freedom of worship.”

Recall that  Members of the House of Representatives, on Tuesday, returned CRK as independent subject of the school curriculum.

The House jettisoned the federal government’s policy that brought CRK under Civic Education and made it compulsory in Secondary School curriculum following a motion filed by Hon. Beni Lar.

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