Students Protest Religious Garb Policy

Students Protest Religious Garb Policy in Osun State

Throughout the week, students of the Baptist High School in Iwo, Osun State, wore casual dress to school and chorused songs of their various religions on the assembly ground. The action is considered controversial, and a daring form of protest by a growing chorus of students who oppose a new dress code, that in some cases has turned violent. 
The sustained actions by Baptist High School students has spread, and is seen as a  brazen rejection of the new school uniform policy by Osun State school officials. The new policy was ordered by the State Government under the education reform policy by Governor Aregbesola's administration.
A source familiar with the recent developments at Baptist High School told Saharareporters that  teachers, and other school staff, are now careful not to provoke the students with strict enforcement of the new orders under the reform policy.
Apart from the Baptist High School in Iwo, other actions similar to the school protests have been reported at three other schools in the State. The other schools include Osogbo Grammar School; Baptist Girls High School in Osogbo; St. Mark's Grammar School; and St. John's Grammar School in Ile-Ife.
The controversial new education dress reform policy in the state has also introduced the re-classification of student levels in primary, and secondary schools. For example, the reclassification of pupils of Primary 1-4 are now grouped together and referred to as Elementary School pupils; pupils and students in Primary 5-6, and JSS 1-3, are re-grouped and now referred to as Middle School, and students in SSS 1-3 are now said to be in High School students, respectively.
Under the new policy each classified school is given a new and unique uniform. Students in each new classified level are required to wear the same type of uniform throughout the State. Yet the policy has encountered widespread criticism, even anger among the state student body. Apart from academics who opposed the idea on the ground that the students cannot be easily identified to a school, nor distinguished by their uniforms, critics have also raised their concerns on economic grounds. Those critics have alleged that the new uniform policy is one being used to ‘corner the market,’ with school funds going to a business crony of the state, connected with a firm to produce the uniforms throughout the State. Saharareporters learned that the new uniform is exclusively contracted to certain ‘Sam and Sara Clothing’ outfit, which has now opened a sub-outlet for the scheme labelled as the  'Omoluabi' fashion outlet.
Also under the policy, the schools were merged. The merger brings all schools which are faith-based together under one umbrella. Students of the faith-based schools affected by the policy have used various methods of resistance, including the use of violence against teachers, and security agencies staffed by men who have tried to enforce compliance.
Beginning this week, from Monday 3rd February, 2014, up to press time, there have been continued reports of the resistance spreading across the state.
Students who were Christians, for example, attended one school in their choir robes, while the Muslims students at the same school wore hijabs. In some instances the forms of protest took on a comical form. On Wednesday, February 5th, students at one school reportedly came dressed shrouded in masquerade costumes. Some who wore the new uniforms by the State added their religious garbs on it.
The trend may, however, be growing violent soon among the students. Saharareporters gathered from several sources that Muslim students at Baptist High School had once attempted during the week to shoot the school gate against the non-muslims, while preparing to hold a Jumat service in the school.