Lagos — Worried by the level of moral decadence among students in public schools, a Muslim leader, Sheik Ahmad Abdul Rahman has advocated the immediate return of schools to their original owners, the missionaries, for the proper upbringing of children.

Rahman, who is also the National Missioner, Ansar-Ud-Deen Society of Nigeria (AUS), made the call in Ado-Ekiti, while fielding questions from the journalists, shortly after the National As-Salat Prayer/lecture, organised by the AUS, Odo-Otu, Ado-Ekiti branch.

He said there was the need for the schools to be returned to their original owners, if only to remold the children and make them fit for societal demands. While noting that this development had taken place in Lagos State, the Islamic scholar urged his society's branches all over the country to follow suit.

"We encourage a situation where government returns schools to the original owners, we therefore urge our branches to also take over their schools across the country," he said.

He, however, cautioned that, even in doing th5s, government should not hand over the schools totally, fold its arms and watch the schools from far away.

According to him, education is a social responsibility that government must render to the people, and this it must do with the cooperation of the people, individually or collectively.

While religious groups could provide spiritual or moral support that would build up the children, he said, government could provide infrastructure for the convenience of the children and their teachers.

Rahman stated further that, the job of providing quality and qualitative education for our children should not be left in the hands of either the government or the individual or group of people alone.

"In a situation where the government shirks in its responsibility, and transfer this important responsibility to one NGO, faith organisation, and the communities, then that would not be alright, it would not be fine," he said.

"It should be partnership, and it is not that government is divesting from the education, and that is the cross of the matter," he further noted.

While acknowledging that education was expensive, Rahman said, this did not mean that it must not be attempted, saying that any attempt to neglect education, over the excuse that it is expensive was dangerous for the growth and development of any country.