IOSR Journal Of Humanities And Social Science (IOSR-JHSS)

Volume 24, Issue 10, Series. 5 (October. 2019) 55-58

e-ISSN: 2279-0837, p-ISSN: 2279-0845.
www.iosrjournals.org

Effective Teaching of Christian Religious Knowledge At The

senior Secondary School Level for Curbing Insurgency in
Nigeria: Some Impediments
P. E. Eluu and S. N. Ikwumelu
Department of Arts & Social Science Education, Ebonyi State University, Abakaliki. Nigeria

Abstract: The paper starts by stressing the importance of CRK and its conceptualization. Peculiarities of CRK
are presented with a view to realizing how they affect teaching of the subject. The organization of Senior
Secondary School Curriculum of CRK is presented in order to bring to the fore its relevance to the problem of
insurgency in Nigeria. An overview of insurgency is discussed as well as how to curb it via CRK. This is
presented in a table showing the relationship between content areas of CRK and topics that relate to insurgency.
Finally, some impediments to the teaching of CRK as a means of curbing insurgency in Nigeria are reviewed.

Keywords; Christian Religious Knowledge; Insurgency; Curbing of insurgency.

I. INTRODUCTION
For effective teaching to take place adequate considerations must be given to the teacher‟s skill, the
learners‟ preparedness to learn, the teaching and learning environment, and the curriculum in addition to such
external variables as government education policies, supervision/ monitoring exercise. These factors combine to
give rise to effective teaching of any subject at whatever level of education.
Effectiveness of Christian Religious Knowledge (CRK) teaching becomes very important when one
considers the indispensable position of the discipline in human socio-cultural, economic, spiritual and moral
development. This feat is acknowledged by Federal Republic of Nigeria (2004) which placed Religious Studies
as one of the core subjects in Group A at the Senior Secondary level. This is probably because Religion goes a
long way to determining individual behaviour and aspiration, which in turn determines not only developmental
strides of the society but also its internal harmony.
Christian perspective to Religious Studies does not deviate from the general functional roles of religion
in the society, such as its efficacy in transcending personal and divisive forces in human society. Through shared
symbols, values, norms and doctrines, religion, including Christian religion, provides a forum for people to unite
to form integrated groups based on seemingly unfathomable mysteries of human existence.
Specifically, CRK teaching is believed to be capable of instilling in the Nigerian youth the required and
desired knowledge, values, behaviours, attitudes and skills that would ensure their effective adaptation in an
ever-changing multi-faith and multiethnic society, Nigeria, [1]. [2] equally holds that CRK curriculum is
designed to teach not only the content of the holy book but also the moral lessons desirable there.
It is thus extremely necessary that any impediment to the effective teaching of this all-important subject should
be identified and thoroughly studied with a view to surmounting them. This is the thrust of this paper.

Concept of CRK
The term religion in its pristine form was derived from Latin words, „Relegere‟ (which means to read
again, to observe), „Religare‟ (which means to bind again) and „Religio‟ (which means relationship) [1].
Explaining further, Omoregbe in [2] asserts that, “religion is essentially a relationship; a link established
between two persons, namely, a human person (the religious man) and a divine person (the worshiped deity)
who is believed to exist”. This forms the basis for understanding religion in general.
More specifically, CRK according to [3] is a subject concerned with the up-bringing, instructing and
informing students on Christian beliefs and practices as found in the Holy Bible and Christian traditions. [4]
adds that the curriculum of CRK is made up of the experiences which are derivable or obtainable from Biblical
personalities, Biblical virtues and great church leaders who had devoted their lives to the work and ministry of
the church and humanity. Christian Religious knowledge (CRK) teaching therefore seeks to inculcate in
individuals how to become useful to themselves, their community, the nation and the entire human race devoid
of insurgency, with Jesus Christ as the prime model.

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Peculiarities of CRK
Religious studies in general emphasize on the affective or emotional aspect of man and often de-
emphasizes logical thoughts and scientific proofs, hence the usual injunction that religious matters should be
accepted by faith. Christian Religion is derived mainly from the Christian Bible whose content unfortunately has
been subjected to variety and versions of interpretations. This has given rise to emergence of numerous
Christian sects, movements and denominations with each guarding its philosophy and followership jealously.
This, no doubt, has found its way into the pedagogy of Christian religion. Federal Republic of Nigeria (2004:10)
in avowing that “opportunity shall continue to be made for religious instruction” quickly adds the caveat that,
“no child will be forced to accept any religious instruction which is contrary to the wishes of his or her parents”.
Another peculiar nature of religion is that it possesses the capability to integrate and disintegrate the
society at the same time. Religion contributes to order in society by creating conditions for social well-being,
self-discipline, social cohesion and continuity of culture and traditions, at the same time, religion is a source of
conflict between groups. Presenting this ambivalent nature of Religion, [5] hold that,
although Christian evangelization exhibited certain negative tendencies, it is still right to say that it
accelerated the pace of development in Africa in many ways. This is true especially from the perspective of
Christian education and health services it provided to the people. Even certain negative policies of the early
missionaries gave impetus to growth and development.
[6] add that, “there are still tensions between believers and non-believers, between Protestants and
Catholics, among some branches of Protestantism, within some protestant denominations, and within the
Catholic Church, and Christians clash with Muslims”. This dysfunctional role of religion has adversely affected
its teaching and learning since the lofty ideals as propounded in the curricular content often differ remarkably
from the actions and utterances of the practitioners in the real-life situation.

Teaching of CRK at Senior Secondary School Level

Teaching of CRK at Senior Secondary School level is aimed at achieving the objectives of the
discipline at that level which include, preparation for useful living within the society, and, preparation for higher
education. [7]. The National Curriculum of Bible Knowledge (or CRK) for senior Secondary Schools (1985)
listed the objectives to guide the teaching of the subject as follows:
i. To provide more opportunities for the Nigerian youths to learn more about God and thereby develop their
faith in Him;
ii. To enable the youth to accept Christ as savior;
iii. To enable the youth to recognize Jesus as the founder and sustainer of the
Christian church; iv. To enable the youth to accept the guidance of the Holy Spirit in their daily activities;
v. To help the youth to understand the basic teachings of Christ and to apply these to their daily lives and
work, and
vi. To develop in the youth Christian attitudes and values such as humility, respect, love, kindness, justice and
fair play, spirit of forgiveness, obedience, devotion to duty, orderly behavior and selfless service to God and
humanity.
The Senior Secondary School Christian Religious knowledge curriculum further emphasizes the
relationship between Religion and morality, between God and Man, and presents God as the creator of all
mankind, the sustainer of human lives and the sources of the Christian belief, joy and hope. The content is
organized in years of study, while the learning experiences are organized in themes. The curriculum is also
organized in specific format of six vertical columns, namely, unit, objectives, content, teaching methods and
activities, suggested teaching aids and evaluation. This arrangement is aimed at making teaching of CRK
effective for curbing insurgency in Nigeria.
Different strategies for classroom pedagogy of CRK consist of a combination of certain specific
operations such as carefully developed lecture methods, questioning technique, project method, discussion
method, inquiry method, field trips and assignment method. CRK, as a result of its peculiar nature, goes beyond
affective domain to touch on man‟s spiritual realm, eclectic approach is thus recommended for its pedagogy,
that is, variety of methods should be employed in a given lesson period, [8].
Inquiry method is another teaching that is very important in CRK. NTI (2000) notes that this method
overrides the indoctrinatory method of teaching CRK. Planned and organized visits to places of worship, as are
undertaken in field trip method are also indispensable in CRK teaching.

Insurgency in Nigeria
Insurgency, according to [9] refers to “the use of violence by an organized group as a means of
changing existing political and economic structures and social relations in society”, it is a political struggle or
armed revolt aimed at taking over power from an existing government or for change of the political order in

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 Effective Teaching of Christian Religious Knowledge At The senior Secondary School …

society. [10] adds that insurgents are people who take part in an armed uprising or a revolt against an established
regime.
Insurgency is not a new phenomenon in Nigeria. It could be traced to Tiv land insurgency of 1960 and
electoral and political violence in Western Region in 1964 and 1965.Presently, the country is experiencing Boko
Haram violence in Borno, Bauchi, Yobe, Adamawa, Kano, Kaduna states and other parts of the country. The
insurgents are said to be averse to Western education and vow to force other Nigerians to buy their views. This
has resulted in immeasurable loss of lives and property in the affected areas.

Curbing Insurgency via CRK

CRK as a discipline can be used to curb insurgency since one of its major objectives is to provide more
opportunities for the Nigerian youths to learn more about God and thereby develop faith in Him. The content
areas of CRK have direct relationship with some attributes that are at variance with insurgency, this is illustrated
below:

Content areas of CRKTopics for pedagogy in relation to insurgency

1 Humility accepting others views, Empathy.
2 Civic responsibility Respect for public utility(avoiding destruction of property)
3 Dignity of labour Self-employment, contentment.
4 The family sanctify of lives (avoiding destruction of lives)5ImpartialityJustice and fair play, good
governance.
6 Christian living in the Honour, dignity, truthfulness and community
7 Leadership by example, good governance.
8 Parental responsibility Childhood care, showing love.
9 Disobedience and Avoiding crimes, punishment for criminal consequences behaviours.
10 Greed and its effects Causes of insurgency, consequences of insurgency.
11 Concern for one‟s nation Patriotism, avoiding insurgency.
12 True religion and social Oneness of religion, mutual co-existence justice

The content areas and the topics as outlined above are relevant to the issue of insurgency in Nigeria. Their
effectiveness however, are hampered by some impediments which are presented below.

Impediments to Effective Teaching of CRK for Curbing Insurgency in Nigeria

Despite the laudable objectives of CRK and its role in effecting positive changes in the learners and the society
as well as in curbing insurgency, its impact has been impaired by such factors as:

i. Misconception of the Discipline

In spite of the fact that religion as a course of study predates most of the current curricular offerings
since its origin is associated with the origin of man, it could pass for the most misunderstood discipline. CRK
extends beyond the Christian bible and includes Christian writings philosophy and practices both in the ancient
and modern times. Worse still, some aspects of the traditional religion form its constituent part. Furthermore, the
discipline dwells on both mundane and spiritual aspects of man with their attendant superstitious beliefs and
fanaticism, thus complicating the conceptualization problem further.
The weirdness of content of the discipline as well as its contents‟ ever-changing interpretations combine to
cause misconception of CRK which in turn makes its teaching a herculean task.

ii. Who Should Teach CRK?

Another impediment to effective teaching of CRK is the unsettled question of who is best qualified to
teach it. Ordained priests of different denominations who are versed in religious rituals and other sacerdotal
functions but bereft of formal training in pedagogy engage in the teaching of CRK in public and private schools.
Worse still, theologians and philosophers equally claim to be best qualified to teach the subject. Presently,
controversy persists as to the suitability of a specialist in CRK with no training in Education to teach the subject
at secondary school level. One cannot over-emphasize that knowledge of Philosophy of Education, teaching
methodology, and proper use of instructional materials are indispensable in the teaching of CRK.

iii. Misuse/Misapplication of Religious Teaching

Religion, probably due to plethora of its interpretations and confusing conceptualization of the tenets of
its teachings, is prone to misuse by the adherents. Religious fanaticism and bigotry and their attendant
vandalism and destruction of human lives and property resulting from terrorism or insurgency have combined to

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relegate positive value of Religion to the background. [11] thus laments that “religious bigotry (intolerance of
other faith) has remained a canker worm eating deep into the fabrics of the life of our nation, Nigeria.”

iv. Onslaught of Science and Technology

Science is an enterprise that focuses on inquiry about natural phenomena, while technology is the
designing of things and processes to achieve practical purposes, (NCSS, 2000). Both science and technology
have had a profound effect in shaping human experience and expectations as well as the world around us. [12]
note that “science and technology have a complex interrelationship with society. While technology is the
impetus to advancements in human development, technologies also contribute to the perpetuation of existing
imbalances and inequities in power and diffusion of knowledge”.
The impact of science and technology on communication, information processing, medicine and
healthcare has helped to demystify certain myths in Religious studies. This creates doubts and confusion in the
minds of learners thereby making the task of achieving the objectives of the discipline more onerous.

II. CONCLUSION
The importance of CRK is captured in the statement of the goals of both primary and secondary
education in Nigeria. For the primary education, one of the goals is to “mould the character and develop sound
attitude and morals in the child”, [3] and at the Secondary education level, the broad goals include “to prepare
the individual for useful living within the society”, [10]. These goals if pursued would curb insurgency in
Nigeria.
There is the need to ensure effective teaching of CRK in our institutions of learning especially at the
secondary school level for, by developing in the youth Christian attitudes and values such as humility, respect,
love, kindness, justice and fair play, recourse to violence and terrorism would be reduced remarkably.
Peculiarities of CRK must be taken into account not only in the preparation of teachers for the discipline but
also in its application to real life situation to achieve a peaceful society.

RECOMMENDATIONS
Based on the foregoing discourse, the following recommendations are made:
1. All efforts should be made by the government at all levels and religious bodies to discourage religious
fanaticism and bigotry.
2. Christian Religious Knowledge should be taught by only the qualified personnel, it should not be viewed as
„a field for all‟ discipline.
3. Content areas of Christian Religious Knowledge need to be reviewed regularly to take care of the emergent
needs and problems of the society.
4. Efforts should be made by Christian Religious Knowledge specialists to deemphasize indoctrination and
subjectivity in the teaching of the subject.

REFERENCES
[1]. Alemika, E.E.O (2013). Cost of insurgency in Nigeria. In M.D. Abubakar ed). Nigeria Police Force: The
Journey so far. 239-256. Abuja; Law Lords Publications.
[2]. Asalu V.C (2005). Religion and society. Onitsha: Abbot Books Ltd.
[3]. Barnaby, F. (2007). The future of terror: A 21 st century handbook. London: Granta Books
[4]. Eluu, P.E. (2011). Evaluation of the implementation of Bible Knowledge Curriculum for Senior
Secondary Schools in Ebonyi State. An unpublished Ph.D. Thesis. Ebonyi State University, Abakaliki.
[5]. Eluu, P.E. (2013).Refocusing religious education for national development. ANSU Journal of
Educational Research. 1 (1) 228-235
[6]. Ezeh, M.E. & Okonkwo, U.U. (2011). Christian evangelization in the social fabrics of Igbo people: A
reappraisal. ANSU Journal of Integrated Knowledge. 1(1). 1-10.
[7]. Federal Ministry of Education (1985). National Curriculum for SeniorSecondary Schools.Vol. 7:
Religious Studies. Lagos: NERDC Press.
[8]. Federal Republic of Nigeria (2004). National Policy on Education. Lagos: NERDC Press
[9]. National Council for the Social Studies (NCSS) (2000). National Standards for Social Studies Teachers:
Washington: NCSS.
[10]. National Council for the Social Studies (NCSS) (2006). Social education. 70 (5). Washington NCSS.
[11]. National Teachers‟ Institute (2000). NCE Course book on education. Cycle 2.Kaduna: NTI Press.
Omali, F (2001). An investigation of the Christian perception of Christian Religious Knowledge as an
academicsubjectinKastinaState.AnunpublishedM.Ed Thesis. ABU, Zaria.

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