The Lagos State Chapter of the Muslim Rights Concern, MURIC, has called on Lagos State Ministry of Education to reschedule the July 14 time table for public school examination in the state in order to enable muslim students and teachers observe the day’s Jumu’ah prayer.
Declaring that the prayer was sacrosanct, the group made the appeal on Thursday in a statement issued by the chairman of its Lagos chapter, Dr. Busari Jamiu Muhammad Ademola.
The statement reads: “It’s disheartening to note that the time table released for the conduct of third term examination 2022/2023 academic session across the public senior secondary schools in Lagos State did not consider the religious and constitutional rights of Muslims. Hundreds of Muslim teachers and students are denied the right to observe Jumu’ah prayer on Friday, the 14th of July, 2023. It was noticed that the third paper on that day commences at 1.45pm (it was earlier scheduled to start at 1.30pm) while ironically the second examination on the same day ends by 1:00pm.
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“This is a gross breach of rights. How on earth would the concerned Muslim teachers and students observe their obligatory Jumu’ah on that day?
“We are therefore making a passionate appeal to Lagos State Ministry of Education and our peace loving and performing Governor of Lagos State, Mr Babajide Olusola Sanwo-Olu to, as a matter of urgency, reverse the time table and give Muslim teachers and students time to observe their prayers knowing fully well that in Lagos, Jumu’ah prayer is observed between 1 pm and 2:30 pm.
“The rights to education and freedom of religious practice of all Lagosians must not be trampled upon by anyone. Muslim students and teachers across the state must not be psychologically tortured with insensitive and incessant moves of some officers at the helm of our affairs.”
