From Pwanagba Agabus, Jos
Cass Education Foundation a non governmental organisation has organised a workshop for secondary school children on interfaith collaboration.
It said equipping the children at an early stage will help fashion our better future leaders.
Speaking at the event held in Jos the Plateau State Capital, a resource person, Dr Charles Dickson said, “We want to
make sure that children at the secondary school level have an understanding of each others faith.
“It is important that we are having this conversation on the Plateau, ; and for anybody who knows the conflictology In the State, will understand that we have had conflicts that are centred around religious differences.
According to him, “We are having a new generation of young people, and it is important they know the differences of each faith, so that they will be able to interact and understand each other from a position of strength, rather than from that of conflict.
“We believe that when you have interactions like this; where these young persons are able to understand each others faith, through active listening and empathy for each others faith, in terms of what they understand of each other, we would have a better society “, he maintained.
Also speaking, CEO, CASS Education Foundation, Salika Das, said, “Our focus area is education, and that is why we particularly focus on educational institutions.
“The theme of this occasion is called Interfaith Collaboration for SDG Action Alliance.
“It is targeted at school children, owing to the challenges we have in our society.
“We often say the youth are the future of tomorrow, and most of the challenges we have today are as a result of lack of equipped knowledge of interreligious understanding that has brought the society to where we are today.
“We feel that taking action from this level of education will help in equipping our future leaders”, he maintained.
“So our focus is to teach the young ones at the primary, secondary and tertiary levels of education.
“The importance of understanding each others faith and how the United Nations efforts through the SDGs numbers 4, 16 and 17; which focuses on religion, education and freedom of religion are aligned.
“Our advocacy is that, since government has been unable to put peace education in our educational curriculum, we are putting our efforts as an organisation to help the society”, he stressed.
Earlier in his remarks, the Program Director of CASS Education Foundation, Lasisi Godwin, said, “This workshop is basically targeted towards training students to take charge of their future”.
Participants were drawn from Government Secondary School Jarawa, Higher Ground International,
De African Child, all in Jos metropolis.
