Following a rebellious behaviour by pupils of the Baptist High School, Iwo, Osun State earlier in the week, FEMI MAKINDE writes that the controversy surrounding the re-classification policy in the state may not end soon.
For three days beginning from last Monday, February 3, the Baptist High School, Iwo, Osun State, played host to a kaleidoscope of colours. This came as pupils of the school stepped into the premises putting on different attire as their school uniform.
While some came in the school’s conventional brownish uniform, others arrived at the premises, adorning their long flowing hijab. Some others too came into the school compound, dressed in overflowing cassocks and choir robes.
It was not surprising therefore that the school’s assembly ground for the three days looked more like a market place instead of an academic environment. That the pupils took the step is not because the management of the institution has changed the uniform of the school. Far from it, the pupils were only reacting to schools’ re-classification policy inaugurated in the state last year by the Governor Rauf Aregbesola administration.
Indeed, for the three days that the drama lasted in the school, the hallowed academic environment lost its serenity.
Our correspondent gathered that the institution became chaotic particularly the first two days as pupils appeared in various religious regalia.
But as if the Monday and Tuesday drama was not enough, Wednesday even became more of a theatre of the absurd as pupil masqueraders – emergency egunguns, if you like – invaded the school. The action not only left their teachers dumbfounded, members of the community also stood speechless.
Since the re-classification policy hit the state last November, stakeholders have greeted the initiative with mixed feelings.
While the Christian Association of Nigeria in the state kicked against the policy and the wearing of hijab to schools, Muslims too, through their various associations, had risen in defence of hijab.
However, reacting to the out-of-the-ordinary dress code among the pupils of BHS, the state Chairman, Christian Association of Nigeria, Rev. Elisha Ogundiya, said Christians were not responsible for the crisis in the school.
Instead, he blamed the state government for not acting fast to arrest the situation.
Speaking with our correspondent on the telephone, Ogundiya said some pupils also chose to dress differently to the school because wearing of hijab on uniform in a school established by Christians was provoking.
He said, “We will not fight but we will not allow our heritage to be destroyed. The truth remains that we are not responsible for the crisis in the school. The pupils, I suspect, are just expressing their rights. If the state government allows Muslim children to wear hijab to school, I do not see any reason why Christian children cannot wear choir robes to the same school or children of traditionalists, dress in their own regalia.
“We warned against this long before now. Why hijab in schools? We saw it coming and we warned the government against it but they refused to listen. All the pupils are free to dress the way they like to school. It is their right.”
But even as Ogundiya holds this view, the state Commissioner for Information, Mr. Sunday Akere, says the state government is already rolling out a plan on how to resolve the crisis.
In fact, our correspondent gathered on Thursday that the governor has invited parents of the pupils to a meeting, which holds at the Government House on Friday (today) in order to address the issue.
The Director, Bureau of Communications and Strategy, in the state, Mr. Semiu Okanlawon, in a statement on Thursday, also said the state government had identified 92 of 2,500 pupils, who wore those “bizarre” uniforms and that the governor had constituted a panel to investigate the crisis.
He said, “The panel is to comprise representatives of the relevant organisations such as the All Nigerian Conference of Principals of Secondary Schools, the Nigeria Union of Teachers, Parent-Teacher-Association and community leaders as well as the officials of the Ministry of Education.”
But the Osun Baptist Conference has asked parents of the affected pupils to shun the meeting, saying Christian pupils would continue to wear choir robes as long as Muslim counterparts did not stop wearing hijab to the school.
The President of the OBC, Rev. Paul Kolawole, stated this, in a communiqué, at the end of an executive committee of the conference on Thursday.
The communiqué read, “That no parents or pupils invited to Osogbo should honour the invitation. If the state government does not intend to intimidate the parents and their children, then it should channel any information it has for them through an appropriate medium such as the school authorities or the Parent-Teacher-Association.
“That in view of our observation that the wearing of hijab in Baptist High School appears to have the backing of the state government, we hereby also authorise all our Christian pupils to wear their religious garments.”
The Ansarudeen Society of Nigeria last December, had tackled the CAN for seeking to ban pupils from wearing hijab to public schools.
The National Publicity Secretary of Ansarudeen, Mr. Muibi Adebanjo, in a statement, said the CAN’s action could trigger a religious crisis in the state.
He said, “We detest this act of religious intolerance – protesting against Muslim children wearing hijab to their newly allocated schools.
“The Ansarudeen Society of Nigeria wants to remind the CAN that the issue of hijab wearing is the fundamental rights of any Muslim child and it cannot be tampered with.”
The Joint Muslims Action Forum, which is an umbrella body for all Islamic groups in the state, had also earlier issued a statement, condemning the protest against the use of hijab in public schools.
The JOMAF Coordinator, Kola Uzamat, and its Secretary, Mr. Qaasim Odedeji, signed the statement.
However, when contacted on the fresh happenings at the Baptist High School, Uzamat said he was not ready to speak to our correspondent.
But the Speaker of the state House of Assembly, Mr. Najeem Salaam, who condemned the strange dress code by the pupils, said the lawmakers would intervene in resolving the crisis.
The state NUT Chairman, Mr. Saka Adesiyan, also condemned the pupils’ conduct, saying the union would meet next week to deliberate on the matter.
He said, “We will discuss the matter next week and if the nonsense which the pupils are doing does not stop, we will close the school until the atmosphere is right for teachers to work.”
A resident, Mr. Banji Akeju, advised the state government and the legislative arm to handle the matter with caution.
“My advice is that the government should ban hijab and other religious regalia in public schools in the state and tell every pupil to wear only the normal school uniform,” he said.
