Nigeria’s Minister of Education, Malam Adamu Adamu has ordered the Nigeria Educational Research and Development Council (NERDC) to make Christian Religious Knowledge (CRK) and Islamic Religious Knowledge (IRK) distinctive subjects in the nation’s basic education curriculum.

The minister gave the directive on Thursday in Abuja at a meeting which had the Minister of Education, Commissioners of Education from various states and stakeholders in the education sub-sector from the six geopolitical zones in attendance.

The meeting was part of ongoing efforts aimed at strengthening the partnership and cohesion between the three tiers of government in the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals 4 (SDG4).

The Minister, who was represented by the Minister of State for Education, Prof. Anthony Anwuka stressed that the directive to separate the two subjects became imperative following the numerous complaints and criticisms by Nigerians especially the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) whom he said, had been very vociferous about the planned merger of CRK with Civil Education and making of CRK and IRK compulsory subjects for all students irrespective of their religious inclinations.

The meeting was part of  ongoing efforts aimed at strengthening the partnership and cohesion between the three tiers of government in the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals 4 (SDG4) which according to him, was selected because it emphasized inclusiveness and quality education for all and recognizes education as the fulcrum of national development.