Following the hijab controversy at the International School, University of Ibadan, its management has shut down the school indefinitely.
Deputy Vice Chancellor of University of Ibadan and Chairman Court of Governors of the school, Professor Yinka Aderinto, announced this yesterday.
Muslim parents of the school had last week notified the management of their intention to make their daughters wear hijab to school, but the management rejected.
The Muslim community in Oyo State, in conjunction with the school’s Muslim parents forum, had earlier yesterday protested at the gate of the school, demanding that the students, particularly those who adorned in hijab, be allowed access to the school premises.
In the presence of combined security teams of the Nigerian Police Force and UI security men, the protesters carried different placards such as “Stop the intimidation now”, “peaceful co-existence in saner clime” with images of foreign hijab-wearing students and their colleagues in a European High School.
Addressing journalists, the Secretary of the Muslim Community in Oyo State, Imam Ismail Busayri, said: “ISI is established on the soil of Premier University, which is expected to be a civil society, but unfortunately at this time and age, when peaceful co-existence and the fundamental rights of especially the minority are being trampled upon. They have denied our girl children from access to basic education for almost a week now only because they adorn a shoulder length hijab.
“We have come to appeal to the management of the school, the Federal Ministry of Education and the National Assembly to please enforce the rights of our children. We do think though we have checked the Article 7 of the Student Handbook, which is about uniform, there is nothing there that bans use of hijab.”
Responding to the allegation that hijab-wearing students of the school were locked in the library last week, he said the community would take a legal action against the school on the matter.
On the private ownership of the UI International School as claimed by the University authorities, Busayri said: “We have checked their website. The ISI was established in 1963 by the University of Ibadan. When has ISI become a Private school? Why is the DVC academic of UI the Chairman, Board of Directors? Is he a private person too? Who are the owners? Let them reveal the identity of the Proprietor. Even if the school is private as they claimed, constitution guarantees that you can manifest your religion both in public and in private.”
The Deputy Vice Chancellor of University of Ibadan, Aderinto, who appealed to the protesters, said normalcy would soon return to the school, adding that “these students are our children and we cannot allow anything that will lead to bloodshed to happen to them.”
