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Osun State Governor, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola of Osun on Tuesday said students who wore unauthorised cloths to any public schools in the State would be expelled henceforth.
Aregbesola stated this at the commissioning of St Micheal’s Government Middle School, Ibokun while reacting to different choir robes and garments wore to Baptist High School in Iwo by some Christian students.
The Iwo Baptist High School wore church garments and robes to school on Tuesday in reaction to the court ruling allowing Muslim female students to wear veils (hijab) to schools.
But Aregbesola said it was wrong and criminal for a section or group of people to have directed some innocent students to wear choir robes to schools against court’s judgment.
He urged whoever was not satisfied with the judgment to ventilate the grievance through legitimate means rather than trying to cause crises by resorting to self help.
His words:
“It is funny for some people to insinuate that government has a hand in the judgement. The government is a democracy, not a theocracy. Any student found disobeying school rule and regulation risks expulsion from our schools.”
He said it was the duty of parents and religious institutions to lead children in religious direction in private capacity, until they are grown enough to make a decision on religion.
“The government therefore cannot support or be seen to be supporting a particular religion,” he said.
“The government is a democracy, not a theocracy. I believe also that parents and society should complement the government in shaping the minds of the pupils to be receptive to knowledge and godly character formation; to be sensitive to the need of others, the plurality of our society and the imperative of mutual toleration.
“They should also be brought up to be team players, even when in a competitive environment.
” It amounts to subversion of the educational needs of a child for them to be drawn into and used for political purposes.”