Parents have criticized the governments of Katsina, Kebbi, Kano, and Bauchi states for closing schools during the ongoing Ramadan fasting, calling the decision shocking and completely unreasonable.
The National President of the Parent-Teacher Association of Nigeria (PTAN), Alhaji Haruna Danjuma, voiced this concern in an exclusive interview with the Nigerian Tribune on Monday.
Expressing his disbelief, Danjuma questioned why the governors of these states would take such action, especially at a critical time when SS3 students are preparing for key public examinations, including the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) by JAMB, the Senior School Certificate Examination (SSCE) by WAEC and NECO, and the NABTEB exam.
He emphasized the significance of these exams and the need for students to have sufficient preparation, noting that examination bodies would not lower their standards due to Ramadan fasting.
Danjuma further pointed out that Nigeria follows a uniform school calendar, requiring students to complete a specific syllabus within a set timeframe. He questioned why students in these four states were being forced to stay home while their peers in the other 32 states and the Federal Capital Territory continued learning.
“To us parents, this decision is completely unwise and unacceptable, and it should be reversed,” he stated, arguing that the move also infringes on the educational rights of non-Muslim students in these states.
He added that implementing such an unnecessary holiday in states already struggling with high numbers of out-of-school children is unjustifiable.
