TheCable

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.