Students at Bura Girls School in Taita, a Catholic-sponsored school, which suspended students for not attending a church service. Photo/File
Monday, July 06, 2015
Leaders of the Council of Imams and Preachers want Muslims included as members of boards of management in all church-sponsored schools.
CIPK Taita Taveta chairman Sheikh Aziz Noor, who spoke in Taveta town on Saturday, said this will ensure equality in education.
His request follows the alleged suspension of Muslim students from two girls’ schools in Taita Taveta for not attending church service.
Bura Girls National School in Mwatate and Eldoro Girls in Taveta, both sponsored by the Catholic church, suspended 63 students.
Most of the top performing schools in Taita Taveta are sponsored by either the Catholic or Anglican Church of Kenya.
He said most church-sponsored have a substantial number of students from the Muslim community who need to be represented by a member of their faith.
Noor said the Muslim community should be involved in managing the affairs of such schools since they are a major stakeholder in education.
He said efforts to get the county education office to compel the schools to readmit the suspended girls have been futile.
In a letter addressed to the county director of education in May, CIPK says it has identified six church-sponsored schools in the region where Muslims students are discriminated against.
But Eldoro Girls Principal Sr Domina Wakio said there is no discrimination in her institution and Muslim students are allowed to wear the hijab and worship in their mosque.
A visit to the school revealed that more than 10 Muslim students wore white hijabs.
“The issue of the suspension had nothing to do with religion. It was a disciplinary issue,” Wakio said.
The students who were suspended have been readmitted to school except two.