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Christian Religious Knowledge and Islamic Studies merged into one school subject; Christian leaders in Nigeria rebuke changes

Nigeria has merged Christian Religious Knowledge and Islamic Studies into one school subject, a move that a Presbyterian synod does not agree with.

Screenshot of Rev Ini Ukpuho, moderator of Presbyterian Church of Nigeria's 21st Synod of the North, in an interview with Daily Trust. May 23, 2016. | Daily Trust

"Our children are very young, very innocent minds, and are being compelled to read materials that ordinarily they would not have access to," said Rev Ini Ukpuho, the moderator of the Presbyterian Church of Nigeria's 21st Synod of the North, as quoted by Daily Trust.

The synod, according to the report, said that the merging to the two subjects is a violation of the children's rights. They are concerned that the kids are exposed to faulty teaching that would not do justice to either religion.

"The content and the quality of the materials being given to our children are diluted. A Christian student or Muslim student will not have the best out of what they study," Ukpuho told the publication. "In the process of the merger, both the content and quality of the curriculum have been compromised. That is not in the best interest of the Christian faith."

The merging of the two subjects is in line with the nine-year basic curriculum designed by the Nigerian Educational Research and Development Council. The council reportedly aims to cut down the number of subjects by half, from 20 to around 10, in order to reduce the workload of students in the primary and the junior secondary levels.

Apart from Christian Religious Knowledge and Islamic Studies, the subject called "Religion and National Values" also includes Social Studies, Civic Education, and Security Education. According to the NERDC, the CRS theme and the IS theme are taught in separate classes, and the curricula for Consumer Education, Disaster Risk Reduction Education, and Peace and Conflict Resolution are put into the civics, social studies, and security education themes.

The subjects for Basic Education are: English Studies, Mathematics, Nigerian Languages, Basic Science and Technology, Religion and National Values, and Cultural and Creative Arts. Arabic Language is optional. Primary 4 to 6 adds Pre-Vocational Studies, while JSS 1 to 3 adds Business Studies (Junior) and French Language.