Traditionalists recommend teaching traditional religious knowledge in schools

The Traditional Religion Worshippers’ Association encouraged the federal and state governments to open schools where traditional religious knowledge would be taught as a subject in order to instill Yoruba culture and custom in the next generation on Wednesday.

In addition, Fayemi Fakayode, the secretary of the association’s Oyo State branch, urged the governments to incorporate traditional religious knowledge, such as Islamic and Christian religious knowledge, into the curricula of primary and secondary schools. Fakayode made this request in Ibadan, the state capital.

In a personally signed statement, Fakayode emphasized the need of educating the next generation about Yoruba history and ancestry.

He clarified that many false impressions about African traditional religion had resulted from the miseducation of Africans regarding their origins and culture.

The founder of Olodumare’s Temple of Light International, the secretary, stated,

“We made this call during the installation of two Brazilians, Awoyomi Fakayode and Iyanifa Ifatayo Obemo as Mayegun and Yeye Mayegun of Ìjọ Ìmọ́lẹ̀ Olódùmarè Àgbáyé, respectively, on Sunday at Alade Town in the Akinyele Local Government Area of the state.

“The time has come for both the Federal and State Governments to include TRK as a subject in the primary and secondary school curriculum, like they have the IRK and CRK, respectively. There is a need for proper education to impart to the younger generations the needed knowledge of our traditions and religion.

“Also, there is a need to equip the younger generations with culturally based knowledge which will make them useful for themselves and their land as well as implanting in them the spirit of patriotism that will make them unyielding to the spirit of betraying their ancestors.

“We call on the traditionalists to start making efforts to establish this subject in our primary and secondary schools, while the Federal and State Governments will give it the needed support by approving its inclusion in the school’s syllabus and curriculum.”

He claimed that with TRK in place, foreigners and people of other religions who have denigrated the religion in order to entice them away would not be teaching children and grandkids about their own religion, culture, custom, and history.