PROBLEMS AND PROSPECTS OF RELIGIOUS DIFFERENCES IN SECONDARY SCHOOLS(A CASE STUDY OF SOME SELECTED SENIOR SECONDARY SCHOOLS IN TOTO LGA,NASARAWA STATE)

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY

Nigeria is not an Islamic state. Christians and Muslims each claim 50% of the population. So this is one country with a sizeable Islamic population, but in which Christians do not accept a minority status. While population figures remain political and controversial in Nigeria, what is not in dispute is that the overwhelming majority of the population of the North is Muslim, while the overwhelming majority of the population of the South is Christian. It is also important at the outset to distinguish between the politics of religion and the actual practice of religion. Nigerians have hardly had to fight over the practice of religion. It is the politics of religion that has brought upon us so much trouble.

Religion springs problems even at the level of conceptualization. All shades of articulation that relate to worship of forces or spirits do not have the same characteristics; this occasioned use of family resemblance definition accommodates all unqualified as religion, which in “strictusensu” need not qualify. Religion is a reality, though it is enigmatic and an elusive subject; hence, it defies a universally acceptable definition. Perceptions of scholars about religion vary. Lucretius said (as cited in (Mukozi, 2011)) Tantum religio potuit suadere malorum (such where the lengths) of wickedness to which religion could persuade human nature to go. In the same vein, Voltaire insisted “crush that monster, religion and set western man’s spirit free for pursuing this glorious enterprise of raising his culture to Olympian heights.” Durrant (2000). For these scholars and those of their ilk, religion is a barrier to human self-actualization. There is no doubt that religion can be seen in this light when it has been turned into an ideological tool or else, why did Karl Marx see it as the opium of the people. A palliative used by the leaders to hold the masses in check. In the hand of a villain, religion can be a cog in the wheel of progress and massaging of the ego and dehumanization of the people, while in the hand of a “saint” it becomes an instrument for humanization. For Ejizu (2006), man’s value system and attitudinal orientations are basically the functions of one’s religious belief. According to Makozi (2009), man as an individual is subject to a God who has created him. For him, the content of religion shapes the individual’s life in society, regulates his relationship with other human beings and is at the root of political order for the fact that it gives legitimacy to civil law and forms of sovereignty. We can hold at this point that religion can become a double-edged sword.

STATEMENT OF THE GENERAL PROBLEM

The constant cases of religious intolerance in Nigeria especially in the northern part of country both among the youths and adults have been a cause for major concern as it has resulted to ethno religious crises which has claimed so many lives and properties. The constant cases of religious intolerance as a result of religious differences in the two major religions in Nigeria not being adequately harnessed in other to ensure growth and peaceful coexistence in Nigeria has negatively affected development in critical sectors of the economy including the education sector as it has retarded educational development of Nigeria thus being partly responsible for the high number of illiteracy in the country especially the northern part of the country.

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY

The major aim of the study is to examine the problems and prospects of religious intolerance in senior secondary schools in Nigeria. Other specific objectives of the study include;

1. To examine the two major types of religion in Nigeria.
2. To assess the level of religious differences in Nigeria.
3. To examine the problems of religious differences in Nigerian secondary schools.
4. To determine the need for effective religious tolerance in secondary schools in Nigeria.
5. To examine the need for a peaceful coexistence in the country and its impact on education in Nigeria.
6. To examine the relationship between problems of religious differences and academic performance of students in Nigeria

RESEARCH QUESTIONS

1. What are the two major types of religion in Nigeria?
2. What is the level of religious differences in Nigeria?
3. What is the need for effective religious tolerance in secondary schools in Nigeria?
4. What are the problems of religious differences in Nigerian secondary schools?
5. What is the need for a peaceful coexistence in the country and its impact on education in Nigeria?
6. What is the relationship between problems of religious differences and academic performance of students in Nigeria?

RESEARCH HYPOTHESIS

H0: There is no significant relationship between problems of religious differences and academic performance of students in Nigeria.

H1: There is a significant relationship between problems of religious differences and academic performance of students in Nigeria.

SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY

The study would be of immense importance to the development of education in the country and also in advancing religious tolerance and peaceful coexistence in the country as it would reveal the problems and problems of religious differences in secondary schools in Nigeria. the study would also be of importance to students, researchers and scholars who are interested in developing further studies on the subject matter through the provision of relevant literature for the study.

SCOPE AND LIMITATION OF THE STUDY

This study is restricted to the problems and prospects of religious differences in senior secondary schools in Nigeria using Toto LGA of Nassarawa state as the case study.

LIMITATION OF THE STUDY

The limitation of the work is quite enormous, since there is no availability of financial support to aid enough material for this study and the short time given for the study also made it difficult to accumulate enough information as possible for the study.