The Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) chapter in Niger State has urged Governor Umar Mohammed Bago to appoint Christian Religious Knowledge (CRK) instructors in public schools to instill moral values in students and learners.
The National Association of Christian Religious Educators of Nigeria (NACREN) held its 45th anniversary and national conference in Minna, the state capital, where the state’s CAN chairman, Most Rev. Dr. Bulus Dauwa Yohanna, made the call. He also noted that in the state, teachers are employed to teach Islamic Religious Knowledge (IRK).
Since 2003, he claimed, CAN has been pleading with succeeding administrations to reinstate the teaching of CRK in all public schools.
Just to take us back, as of 2004, when there were roughly 152 public schools, we had just 120 CRK instructors in the state, according to Yohanna, who is also the Catholic Bishop of Kontagora Diocese.
“The government provided us with numbers in 2004, when Niger State hosted the National Conference of CRK instructors, showing that there were 220 CRK instructors overall, including non-qualified teachers working in more than 450 institutions.
The state required over 300 CRK teachers for its more than 300 schools, according to statistics data from 2016.
He pointed out that CRK instruction in public schools could contribute to reducing the high percentage of social vices among young people in the state.
The clergyman further asserted that the best method to combat young restlessness, drug misuse, waywardness, disrespect, and other social vices is to educate children the way of God so that they will not be influenced by worldly events.
He urged the government to encourage higher education students to study CRK and to hire qualified instructors for the course.
The National President of the NACREN, Rev. Dr. Reuben Maiture, urged the Federal Government earlier in his speech to give CRK the same priority as other sectors.
