In Northern Nigeria, schools are closed for the entire month of Ramadan, children stay home

The Kebbi, Bauchi and Kano State governments have reaffirmed that the holiday granted to both primary and secondary schools in their states for Ramadan fast will not be reconsidered, despite concerns raised by the Christian Association of Nigeria.

The Chief Press Secretary to the Kebbi State governor, Ahmed Idris, stated that the decision was made after consulting all relevant stakeholders, including religious leaders and parents.
“We are not reversing the decision. The closure of the schools was a result of meetings with all relevant stakeholders, including religious leaders, parents, and others. The leadership of CAN and the Muslim community were carried along before the decision was reached,” Idris said.

He further explained that the closure would only affect a maximum of two weeks from the initial academic calendar, emphasising that it would not disrupt school activities.
“Our normal school calendar already factored in closures during the fasting period. So, the issue of disrupting the academic calendar does not arise,” he added.

Similarly, the Kano State  Director of Public Enlightenment in the state’s Ministry of Education, Balarabe Kiru, said there is no reason why the state government would reverse the directive as the decision to close the schools was taken after a meeting with all relevant stakeholders.

“There was a stakeholders’ meeting at the federal level during which the Christian Association of Nigeria was fully represented.
“More so, members of the State Executive Council have also agreed on the academic calendar. So there is no way we can reverse the directive. There is no going back on the decision so far taken with the knowledge and agreement of all stakeholders and the State Executive Council,” Kiru said.

Also speaking with newsmen on Monday, the Bauchi State Commissioner for Education, Lawal  Zayam, said the decision to close schools would not be reviewed.
According to him, the holiday was captured in the 2024/2025 academic calendar of the state long at the beginning of the session.

Zayam said, “We have not done anything extraordinary. Before we drafted the 2024/2025 session calendar, the stakeholders’ input was considered.
“The stakeholders were the ones who propel this solution, especially the private school owners whose state chairman is a Christian.
“This has nothing to do with our academic calendar because, after the resumption, the students will have two weeks of studies to complete their second term before moving on to the third term.”

Stressing that all relevant stakeholders were carried along, the commissioner added, “We equally consulted other states, which we have exchanged programmes with before a memo was raised for the calendar and got approved by the governor.”

However, CAN in the 19 northern states and Abuja, on Monday, condemned the school closures in Kebbi and other Shariah-practicing states, including Bauchi, Katsina, and Kano, where schools have been shut for five weeks.

In a statement issued in Kaduna, Northern CAN Chairman, Rev. John Joseph Hayab, expressed concern that the closures would negatively impact students preparing for crucial examinations, including the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination and Junior Secondary School exams.

“We are worried about these closures, especially considering the setbacks already faced by students in most northern states due to rising insecurity. The decision could further hinder educational progress,” Hayab said.