NERDC says CRK not removed from schools’ curriculum

The management of the Nigerian Educational Research and Development Council (NERDC) says that Christian Religious Knowledge (CRK) is still being taught in schools as a separate distinct subject with the accompanying Teachers’ Guide.

Prof. Ismail Junaidu, Executive Secretary, NERDC made this known in a statement made available to the News Agency of Nigeria in Abuja on Tuesday.

Junaidu called on Nigerians to discard reports from some quarters that the subject had been removed from the schools 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 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 added 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 time table.

“In view of the claims therefore, NERDC hereby states that CRK is still taught in schools as a separate distinct subject with the accompanying Teachers’ Guide.

“CRK is not a theme in Civic Education. Civic Education is a distinct subject on its own which teaches the rudiments of good citizenship.

“There is no subject in the Nigerian School Curriculum called Islamic Arabic Studies nor anywhere in the world as being speculated,” he said.

He added that French was a compulsory subject from Primary 4 as dictated by the National Policy on Education Section 2, sub-section 23.7p 13.

The executive secretary said efforts were in top gear to print the Christian Religious Knowledge and Islamic Studies Curriculum separately in order to maintain their characteristics and distinctiveness.

“NERDC stands for integrity and excellence in educational research and development.

“The management stands for education for human dignity, economic reconstruction and value reorientation.

“We, therefore, sincerely appeal to politicians and fifth columnist to desist from dragging education into the political melee capable of destabilising the education sector and mortgaging the future of upcoming generation of Nigerians,” he said.

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He said that at the commencement of the present administration, the Minister of Education sought and obtained the approval of the National Council on Education to make CRK and IRK compulsory for Christian and Muslim students respectively.

He, however, said that the claims peddled on social media platforms and a national daily are speculative, false and unfounded.