Kwara govt reopens Oyun Baptist High School, insists on hijab usage by Muslim students

Kwara State government on Wednesday said Muslim schoolgirls are free to wear hijab in all the public schools in the state.

The government stated this as it announced the reopening of Oyun Baptist High School, Ijagbo on Friday June 3, 2022.

This was contained in a statement signed by the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Education and Human Capital Development, Mrs. Mary Kemi Adeosun in Ilorin.

The reopening is coming 119 days after the school was shut over the crisis caused by wearing of hijab by students.

The school was closed on February 3, 2022, following the invasion of the school by both Muslim and Christian parents who were fighting for and against the wearing of hijab by students of the school.

The crisis reportedly led to the death of one person.

The statement reads: “The Kwara State Ministry of Education and Human Capital Development wishes to announce the reopening of the Oyun Baptist High School Ijagbo from Friday June 3, 2022.

“Consequently, all teachers and students are directed to return to their classrooms while the government white paper committee continues the efforts to address pending issues related to the recent disturbance in the public school

“The ministry’s decision to reopen the school is one of the government’s multi-prong approaches to return normalcy to the school. 

“All stakeholders in the area are urged to give peace a chance and to respect the law. The government will not hesitate to shut the school again, among other things, if anything threatens the safety of the little children. 

“The ministry welcomes all our students back to school, and urges them to maximise their time in the classrooms, while relevant authorities also help them to fill any gaps.”