Schools closure for Ramadan in Bauchi, Kano, others will negatively affect students, says FG

The Minister of State for Education, Suwaiba Ahmad, has urged the governments of Bauchi, Katsina, Kebbi, and Kano states to reconsider their decisions to shut down state-owned schools for Ramadan.

Ahmad, who was a guest on Channels Televisions’ Political Paradigm show, feared that time would be lost if schools remained shut for Ramadan.

According to her, the Federal Ministry of Education has started engaging the four state governments to re-open the school though she admitted that the Federal Government has no control over state-owned schools.

The Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) has also appealed for the reopening of the schools, urging the governors to consider reducing school hours instead of wholesome shutdown.

CAN says the closure of schools for five weeks is not only faultily timed, but the impact of the schools’ closure could further be a setback for the education of the young persons in the region.

“Manifestly, the closure of schools can negatively impact senior secondary students who are preparing to sit for the exams organized by the Joint Matriculation Examination Board. The same also applies to junior students who sit for the Junior Secondary Schools exams.

“Given that children are not likely to study at home as they would at school, the closure could cause massive failure, ultimately reducing the chances of kids from the north scoring the required points to be admitted into tertiary institutions by October 2025,” the statement added.