The Nigerian Educational Research and Development
Council (NERDC) says Christian religious knowledge
(CRK) is still being taught in schools contrary to
reports that it has been scrapped.
Ismail Junaidu, NERDC executive secretary, made this
known in a statement on Tuesday.
He said it is taught as a separate subject with the
accompanying teachers’ guide.
Junaidu called on Nigerians to disregard reports from
some quarters that the subject had been removed
from the curriculum.
“The management of NERDC hereby reiterates
categorically and unequivocally to all Nigerians that
the subject offerings (civic education, social studies,
Christian religious knowledge, Islamic studies and
security education) under the religion and national
values curriculum are distinct,” the statement read.
“The subjects are as listed and taught separately on
the time table.
“In this curriculum, no child should be coerced or
compelled to learn or be taught in school any religious
studies subject but only one (out of the two) that
restrictively relates to the belief system professed by
the child and his/her parents.”
Junaidu noted that teachers had been trained in the
six geopolitical zones to be able to teach these
distinct subjects.
He said the teachers were also aware of the mode of
teaching the religion and national values curriculum as
distinct subjects on the timetable.
“CRK is not a theme in civic education. Civic education
is a distinct subject on its own which teaches the
rudiments of good citizenship,” he added.
“There is no subject in the Nigerian school curriculum
called Islamic Arabic studies nor anywhere in the world
as being speculated.”
The executive secretary said efforts were “in top gear”
to print the Christian religious knowledge and Islamic
studies curriculum separately to clearly define their
distinct features.
TheCable
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