Oyun Baptist High School, Ijagbo, in Kwara State has been reopened for academic activities after 119 days of closure over the crisis caused by the wearing of Hijab.
It would be recalled that the school was shut down by the government on February 3, 2022, following a crisis over the wearing of Hijab by female Muslim students in the school.
The Permanent Secretary of the Kwara State Ministry of Education and Human Capital Development , Mrs Mary Adeosun, announced the reopening of the school in a statement on Wednesday from Friday, June 3, 2022.
The statement read, “the Ministry’s decision to reopen the school is one of the government’s multi-prong approaches to return normalcy to the school.
“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.
“Similarly, the Ministry restates the government’s position that any Muslim schoolgirl who desires to wear the hijab is allowed to do so in all public schools, including in Oyun Baptist High School Ijagbo, which is owned by the State Government and run with public resources.
“The ministry’s decision to reopen the school is one of the government’s multi-pronged 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.”