The National Council of Muslim Youth Organisations (NACOMYO) in Lagos has raised the alarm over the depletion of Islamic Religious Study (IRS) teachers in the state’s public schools.
It said many of the Islamic teachers are retiring and that there was no move to replace them.
The council’s coordinator in Lagos, Alhaji Isiaka Salami, at a news conference, said the number of IRS teachers in Lagos public schools has decreased to 220 from 267 before the outbreak of COVID-19.
“The updated number now is 220. This number before the pandemic was a far cry, as the number of teachers is not enough to go round all schools in Lagos, not to talk of when the number keeps reducing without any known attempt to replace and augment the initial deficit,” he said.
Salami said it would be counterproductive to leave the teaching of essential religious knowledge to any person.
“When government fails to teach appropriate Islam to its citizens, the mischief-makers and bigots will trade and teach wrong Islam. Again, it is just unfair that Muslim children will be deprived of their essential rights from the government,” he added.
Salami also charged the state government to upgrade the smart tablets given to teachers in Lagos State with IRS instructional details.
The council stated that the tablet leaves the aspect of IRS to the discretion of teachers without including any instructional detail.
