NSCEA Seeks Clarification on NERDC’s Nomenclature for Religious Studies
The Nigerian Supreme Council for Ecclesiastical Affairs (NSCEA) has called on the National Education Research and Development Council (NERDC) to clarify inconsistencies in the nomenclature used for Religious Studies in the recently reviewed 2025 national curriculum.
In a statement signed by its Secretary General, Bishop Professor Funmilayo Adesanya-Davies, the NSCEA commended the NERDC for its efforts in reforming the education system but expressed concern over what it described as “confusing abbreviations” for Christian and Islamic Religious Studies.
The Council pointed out that while the NERDC designates Christian Religious Studies as “CRS,” Islamic Religious Studies appears as “IS” instead of the commonly recognized “IRS.” It argued that this inconsistency could create unnecessary confusion in curriculum implementation.
“Consistency in nomenclature is crucial for clarity and alignment with educational standards. We therefore advocate the uniform use of ‘CRS’ for Christian Religious Studies and ‘IRS’ for Islamic Religious Studies across all NERDC documentation and materials,” the statement read.
The NSCEA further noted that abbreviations such as “IS” could be misinterpreted, since they are often used in computer-related studies to denote Information Systems or Information Science. It maintained that avoiding such overlaps would help prevent miscommunication in Nigeria’s educational framework.
While stressing its preference for the established CRS/IRS format, the Council acknowledged that an alternative of “CS” for Christian Studies and “IS” for Islamic Studies could be considered if adopted uniformly.
Reaffirming its commitment to defending Christian interests in Nigeria, the NSCEA pledged to continue engaging with the government and education authorities to ensure that faith-based subjects are represented “accurately and respectfully.”
“We once again congratulate the federal government and NERDC for their commitment to making the Nigerian education system a national pride through this curriculum overhaul,” Bishop Adesanya-Davies added.
