Kwara State govt reopens Baptist school shut over hijab crisis.

The kwara Regional Government on Wednesday approved the reopening of Oyun Baptist High School, Ijagbo, so that students could resume their studies after 119 days of closure due to a problem caused by the wearing of Hijab.

The school was closed by the government on February 3, 2022, following a dispute between Muslim and Christian parents who besieged the school to protect their faith in the wearing of Hijab by Muslim female students at the school.

At least one person was feared dead and 11 others were injured in the crash.

Less than 150 final-year high school students who were expected to write their West African School Certificate Examinations have been victims of the school’s closure.

However, a statement issued Wednesday by the Department of Education and Human Development and signed by Permanent Secretary, Mrs Mary Adeosun, announced the reopening of Oyun Baptist High School Jagbo from Friday, June 3, 2022.

The statement read, “The Department’s decision to reopen the school is one of the government’s various ways of restoring normalcy.

“All teachers and students are therefore instructed to return to their classrooms while the state white paper committee continues its efforts to rectify the existing problems regarding the recent disruption in public school.

“Similarly, the Department reaffirms the government’s position that any Muslim schoolboy who wishes to wear the hijab is allowed to do so in all public schools, including Oyun Baptist High School Ijagbo, which is owned by the State Government and operates a public service,” he said.

The government has called on all stakeholders in the region to give peace and respect the rule of law, warning that “the government will not hesitate to close schools again, among other things, if there is a threat to the safety of young children.”

The statement said the department welcomes all students to the school and urges them to spend more time in the classroom, and appropriate authorities are urged to help them fill in the gaps left by the school.