Jos, 14 March, 2025 / 4:42 pm (ACI Africa).
The Bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Katsina in Nigeria is appealing to authorities in the Northern parts of the West African nation to allow learners, especially those in non-Muslim schools, to resume learning after they were forced to break for the period of Ramadan.
Katsina is one of the States in Northern Nigeria, where schools were reportedly closed for five weeks in alignment with the commencement of the holy month for Muslims, when they commemorate Qur’an’s revelation by fasting from food and drink during the sunlit hours. Others are Bauchi, Kebbi and Kano States.
Katsina State government in particular has reinforced the directive by ordering the closure of all public and private schools during the Ramadan period, when Muslims fast to draw closer to God and nurture self-control, show gratitude, and practice compassion towards the needy.
Speaking to the Catholic charity foundation, Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) International, Bishop Gerald Mamman Musa expressed concerns about the hundreds of thousands of affected learners, calling on the Nigerian States to reconsider the decision.
Bishop Musa noted that the measure affects up to 2,500 learners in the eight Catholic schools in Katsina State alone. The move, he said, has the learners, teachers, and parents in a state of shock at a decision that impacts all educational institutions.