Posted by The Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) in Niger State has urged Governor Umar Mohammed Bago to hire more instructors of Christian Religious Knowledge (CRK) in public schools so that good values can be instilled in the state’s youth.
State CAN chairman Most Rev. Dr. Bulus Dauwa Yohanna made the appeal in his goodwill message at NACREN’s 45th anniversary and national conference in Minna, the State capital. Yohanna pointed out that in the state, teachers are already employed to teach Islamic Religious Knowledge (IRK).
Since 2003, CAN has been advocating for the return of CRK education to all public schools, he stated.
Yohanna, who is also the Catholic Bishop of Kontagora Diocese, recalled that there were only 120 CRK instructors in the state in 2004 when there were approximately 152 public schools.
Niger State hosted the National Conference of CRK Teachers in 2004, and we were told that there were 220 CRK teachers in the state, not counting the unqualified teachers who worked in more than 450 schools.
There were more than 300 schools in the state in 2016, hence the state needed roughly 300 CRK instructors to staff them.
He pointed out that the state’s kids are disproportionately affected by social vices, and that teaching CRK in public schools could be a solution.
The minister also maintained that indoctrinating young people in the ways of God will protect them from the corrupting influences of materialism, hedonism, and rebellion.
He demanded that the government do more to promote interest in CRK research at universities and to ensure that qualified educators are available to instruct students in the field.
Earlier in his speech, Rev. Dr. Reuben Maiture, National President of the NACREN, urged the Federal Government to give CRK the same level of priority it gives to other sectors.