An Assessment Of Secondary School Students Enrolment Of Islamic Studies In Ssc Examinations In Abeokuta From 2012-2016
[CASE STUDY OF ABEOKUTA SOUTH, LOCAL GOVERNMENT OGUN STATE]

Jekanyinfa (2010) defines education as the whole process of the development of an independent and integrated personality, it entails training and acquisition of special skills, knowledge, attitudes and values needed by an individual to be responsible and which would enable him to contribute his own quota to the growth of the society of which he is a member. This means that a child process the power to know, he is endowed with some qualities to be developed so that he will be useful to himself, his family, and the society generally.
Ajidagba (1999) defined Islamic education as the means of guiding the individual to recognize Allah; cultivate the sense of gratitude to him, encourage the pursuit of useful knowledge; attain balance development by giving due weight to the physical, social, intellectual, moral and spiritual needs of men; realize human rights equally and brother hood; awaken the conscious of Allah (God) as a witness of all our action, thoughts and behaviors.
Islamic Education according to al-Imam University, the term could mean of a number of things. It can be refer to the religious education in which the person studies religious knowledge, starting with the Qur’an and matters of worship like Purification, Prayer, Zakat, Fasting, and Hajj. He may also learn other matters like the etiquettes of eating and drinking, Islamic dress, family relations, business transaction, criminal law, and heritance. All of this knowledge is drawn from the Qur’an and Sunnah and from the writings of Islamic Scholars. This is called the Islamic studies.
    Nigeria needs educational system that is dynamic and comprehensive and apart from achieving self-sufficiency. It would like to contribute something that will bear her stamp in the world market. In an educational system designed to achieve these objectives, there is the need to upgrade the quality and variety of Islamic education in Nigeria. A school called the Northern province law school was established in Kano in 1930s to train Alkalis or Islamic lawyers, who presided over area courts and try minor cases. Babalola (2004) the school was renamed the school for Arabic studies, and started the training of teachers in Arabic and Islamic studies. In the 1950s, the school expended its activities to train primary schools teachers and the 1960s it introduced post-secondary course in Arabic and Islamic studies the products of which were sent for higher studies at Abdullahi Bayero College Kano (Now Bayero University Kano) 
    Today there are thousands of Qur’anic schools still run on traditional lines. Islamic religious studies are taught in many school and students in secondary choose Islamic religious studies as a subject. At higher levels, many Nigerian universities offers diploma course in Arabic and Islamic studies and a well established bachelor of Art/Education course with specialization in Arabic and Islamic studies. Other agencies have their contribution Babalola (2004)
    Muslim organization like the Ansarudeen society, the Ahmadiya mission, Jamaiyatul Islamiyah, Zumuratul Islamiyya, Nawar-ud-deen society etc, established institution to give Islamic education. The fact still remain that millions of Muslim children only go to the traditional Quranic Schools, either as full time or as part-time pupils.
The Objectives of Islamic Religious Studies                
    The ultimate goal of Islamic education, therefore, is to build up the individual who will act as Allah’s Khalifah or at least put him on the path to such an end Abdullah (1982). In other words, Islamic education aims generally at leading an individual to acquire the necessary qualifications worthy of a khalifah. Basically, such an individual, supposedly delegated by Allah to do His will on earth should be faithfull, committed and devoted to the Ibadah i.e the worship and service of Allah. This broad objective is enshrine in the Holy Qur’an 6:162.
    â€œSay, verily, my prayer, my service of sacrifice, my life and my death, are all for Allah, the cherisher of the words (Oladosu, 2010).
    Islamic religious studies is set up to impact good habits ethics, and moral which conforms with the societal goals.
    The objective of Islamic studies as introduced by the Federal Ministry of Education (2004) are;
-    To prepare students spiritually, morally, socially and intellectually for his roles as Muslim in the adult world which he is entering  
-    To give him an insight in the broad view of Islam in both the past and the present and the Qur’an as the greatest gift of God to humanity and its wisdom as being of unique kind.
-    To enable him further his studies in Islam both formally and otherwise throughout his life in accordance with the saying of the prophet Muhammad; (SAW) to seek knowledge for the cradle to the gave. And the application of such knowledge from the benefits of humanity in the field of science, technology medicine etc.
-    To help him practice properly all his religious duty