Christian & Ifá Parents of International School, Ibadan kick against Hijab Use

The parents of students of the International School, Ibadan (ISI) who practice other religions have kicked against the use of hijabs in the school.

The school has twice been shut down after Muslim students showed up in hijabs, with the school management insisting it is not allowed.

Both the school’s Parents and Teachers Association and the alumni body have also kicked against the use of hijabs in school.

Parents of students practicing other religions, including Christianity and Ifá, have protested the actions of the Muslim students, Punch reports.

Carrying cardboard papers with the slogans like “Stop!!! Don’t divide our children” and “No to religious discrimination in ISI,” the parents stood by the school gates.

In a letter addressed to the school board, the parents wrote:

We want to use this medium to inform the management that the school is not only populated by the two dominant religions, but also has traditional believers. These groups have vowed to enforce their rights in line with their Muslim counterparts’ claim to the right to use of their religious emblem in hijab wearing.

A scenario in which armlets and Ifá traditional beads are freely used as religious symbols in the school will not be funny. What will then become of the uniformity concept of the uniform when the school environment can be taken as a marketplace of sorts, where a rainbow of apparels is the order of the day? May the day never come when the International School, Ibadan becomes the example of what a school environment should not be.