Muslims, Catholics disagree over return of schools to missions in Ondo

The policy to return some schools forcefully taken over by the Ondo State government several decades ago to faith based organisations has continued to generate furore among Muslim and Christian communities

The return of four secondary and primary schools in Ondo State to faith-based missions, especially the Catholic Church, by the state government has continued to generate discordant tunes and disquiet among critical stakeholders in the Sunshine State.

This is as the move has pitched the Muslim community against the Ondo State government and the Christian community.

Particularly, the Muslim community through the League of Imams and Alfas in the state has vehemently opposed the government’s move, describing the policy as attempt to corner the property jointly owned by the citizens of the state. According to the League of Imams and Alfas, the return of the schools is akin to giving what jointly owned by both Christian and Muslim communities to “some individuals” in order to make money.

The state government, as part of its policies to rejig the education sector, had few years ago announced plans to return all schools forcefully taken over by the military administrations in the state to their missions and original owners, as part of moves to improve quality education, which over the years has nosedived.

Under the policy, the government returned Aquinas College established in 1951 and Saint Louis Grammar School that was established in 1960 and two other primary schools to Catholic Church, the original owners in fulfillment of its policy to return some schools to missionaries.

 But, to the Muslim clerics, led Alhaji Ahmad Aladesawe and Alhaji Abdurasheed Akerele, who addressed a press conference on behalf of the Muslim community in the state, bemoaned the government’s action “as archaic, barbaric, backward and nonprogressive.”

The Muslim faithful said the action of the government “is a call to return to the colonial era and above all, the call is contradictory to the electoral promises of the present administration, led by Governor Oluwarotimi Akeredolu.”

Akerele, who presented the position of the Muslim community, said: “Without fear of contradiction, the call for the return of schools to Faith-Based Organisations (FBOs) or their “Original Owners” is nothing but a call to return schools to the Christian Missionaries or Churches.

“This was done at the summit based on the arrays of supporters of the agenda who are majorly Christian leaders. We say without the fear of contradiction that this call is dubious, callous and fraudulent. It is a calculated attempt to further deny the Muslim children free access to qualitative education in an atmosphere of religious freedom.

“All our fathers, who are now elder statesmen who had the opportunity to attend the formal schools especially in the South in the early 50s and 60s, would bear us witness that it is a call to re-awaking the systematic Christianisation of the Muslim children.”

The League of Imams and Alfas, in their opposition to the policy, further stated: “Anybody, who knows the history of education in Nigeria and the adventure of the Muslim children in his quest for formal education which was then in the custody of the Christian Evangelists  would agree with us that this period can best be described as a dark period in the history of education and development in our dear nation.

“For the sake of posterity and the unborn generations, the development of the state and even for the sake of the traumatised and impoverished masses, the government should not return schools to the FBOS under any banner or guise.

This is because of its daring consequences as more children will be thrown out of schools as their parents would definitely not be able to afford the school fees that will be charged by such new owners or organisations.

“Returning of schools to Faith- Based Organisations will be the fraud of the century because this is simply handing over public properties to private business-oriented individuals in the name of FBOs.

It is a call to the return of the nation to the dark era in the history of educational development when educational institutions were used as tools in the hands of the religious bigots for forceful conversion and intimidation of the masses.

“Implementing the policy will work against the Federal Government policy on education, as well educational policies of major international bodies with stakes in educational development of the nations at large and Ondo State, in particular. “Rather, the government should build more schools, improve on the existing educational infrastructure, increase or improve on the educational personnel especially the teaching staff, as well as provide adequate teaching and instructional  materials.

“This can be achieved, most importantly, considering the dwindling government resources by dedicating the governor’s security votes to education development. The government should establish the Ondo State Education Trust Fund and set up a committee of eminent personalities to manage the funds that will accrue.

“Ondo State should also increase the budgetary allocation to education. With these measures there will be adequate funds to manage, improve and take the state’s education sector to enviable heights.

This is what we called a “Herculean Agenda” and if our amiable Governor Oluwarotimi Akeredolu (SAN) could track and embark on its implementation and ignored the ill-advice of returning schools to FBOs, posterity will not only smile at him, but also write his name in gold.

“We want to say that ithe governor should go ahead to return schools to the so-called original owner after acquisition, full compensation and huge investment using the people’s hard-earned resources (tax) then we will have no option than to seek redress using every legal and constitutional means available to us as a cardinal member of Ondo State community with vested interested in the education development of our dear Sunshine State.

“We are equally calling on all well-meaning indigenes and critical stakeholders in the state, as well as all other bodies, union and organisations passionate about the posterity of our  children and their education to join us in the campaign against this perilous tide.”

However, they further insisted that the decision would be a “bad precedence, an ungodly act and the fraud of the century” that the property that we (Muslim, Christian and traditional believers) owned together under the government trust is handed over to profit-oriented organisations under the guise of being original owner or FBOs after acquisition, full compensation and huge investments on the schools by the government, using the tax payers’ hard earned resources.

Thus, the Muslim community argued that when the schools are returned to the so-called “original owners” or FBOs would the government hands off primary and post-primary education, and if not, would they build new schools to cater for the children of the masses, who definitely won’t be able to afford the consequences of that action.

And, if the answer is no, then the implications are that more children are likely going to be thrown out of the school,” the clerics said. But, the Catholic Church Mission, a beneficiary of the state government’s policy, in its reaction, described the move as “heartwarming.”

The Bishop of the Ondo Diocese, Dr. Jude Ayodeji Arogundade, said the decision to return the schools to the missions and their original owners had long overdue and anticipated, saying that no government anywhere could solely provide education to the people.

The cleric, reiterated that education is a collective responsibility which all stakeholders must be allowed to completely participate in educating the citizens, saying: “I am happy that the governor finally conceded after a lot of pressure from us in particular that some missionary schools that had been taken over a long time ago by the government have become a shadow of themselves.

We feel that if they allow us to take over some of these schools, we can do a little better because those facilities we have and which were not taken over are some of the best in the country today.”

Arogundade, who further noted that though the Mission does not have adequate funds and resources to turn the schools around in one day, however, promised its readiness to work with the government and the people of the state so as to bring the schools back to their past glory. He said: “Education is not free anywhere, not even in the United States of America.

So, all have to make commitments. We are of the view that we can bring down the level because we are a church and we are always sensitive to the needs of the poor. We are not trying to build a school for the upper class or the very rich in the society. However, we need to charge some money as school fees in order to be able to pay the teachers, develop and reorganise the schools.”

The cleric, therefore, called on the state government not to simply wash its hands off the schools, but to continue to support the Mission in restoring quality to the school system.

“The students are children of the government so the government has to continue to make commitments to these schools,” he, however, added, even as the cleric further expressed the view that the resources available to the government were not adequate to properly cater for the needs of the schools, hence the need for the reversal of ownership of missionary schools.

He stated that though parents had been nurturing the false hope that education would be free, and assured them that some fees would be paid by the students and pupils, which according to him, would not be astronomical or outside the reach of all children. We cannot allow them to continue like this. Even the government will own up that they don’t have enough resources to bring these schools to where they should be and at a level they would be proud of

This is very obvious, but if we begin to manage them and do the things that are necessary, things will definitely turn around to the joy of the people of the state and government,” Arogundade added.

Meanwhile, Governor Akeredolu has assured the Muslim community in the state that his administration would look into their complaints over the return of some schools to FOBs.

The governor, who spoke through the erstwhile Information and Orientation Commissioner, Donald Ojogo, promised to adequately address their concerns. However, he commended the Muslim community for not taking laws into their hands, saying the government was more willing to listen to various complaints on the matter, even as the Commissioner appealed for calm from the religious organisations as the move was not to cause any form of tension between the two faiths In their reactions, some stakeholders, however, insisted that education was far better when the missionaries were running the schools.

According to a parent, Mr. Matthew Babalola, most of the best schools in the state were either owned by the Catholic or Anglican Churches. He cited the example of Saint Louis and Aquinas Secondary Schools in Akure, saying that the policy of free education from primary to Junior Secondary School (JSS) level could be in jeopardy as the churches, who were the original owners of the schools may not be able to fund free education, especially the payment teachers’ salary.

Also, a teacher, who spoke with New Telegraph, on condition of anonymity, said payment of salaries and other emoluments to teachers might be difficult if the schools are returned to the original owners. Besides, she also argued that it would be difficult for teachers who are not of a particular faith to head such schools if returned to the missions or their original owners.

Tracing the trajectory of education provision in the country, it was gathered that before the proliferation of private schools in the country, mission schools were responsible for the provision of primary and secondary school education to the citizens. The early missionaries, who introduced Christianity to the country, were also said to have also come with education, as the first set of nation’s elites were educated by the missionaries that brought Christianity to the country.

However, with the takeover of mission schools by the government during the military regime, the provision of education, which is on the Concurrent List, became the prerogative of the three tiers of governments.

To ensure effective delivery and coordination of the school system, various bodies were created by the government at the federal, state and local government area that are saddled with the responsibility of regulating the affairs of the schools.

Towards this end, the State Universal Education Board (SUBEB) is saddled with supervision of Basic Education, while the Teaching Service Commission (TESCOM) and the National Universities Commission (NUC), among other became the supervisory and coordinating agencies for secondary school and university education, respectively. (New Telegraph: Excluding headline)