How almajirai survive on campus

As early as 7:00 a.m., these children chant their trade slogan, “Debo ruwa, wanki ko wanke wanke,” meaning, fetching water, laundry or dish washing, at the top of their voices. They are usually entrusted with money to purchase items for the students. They wash plates, launder cloths, after which they get paid. The pay depends […]

As early as 7:00 a.m., these children chant their trade slogan, “Debo ruwa, wanki ko wanke wanke,” meaning, fetching water, laundry or dish washing, at the top of their voices.
They are usually entrusted with money to purchase items for the students. They wash plates, launder cloths, after which they get paid. The pay depends on the amount of work done.
They maintain a good relationship with the students though not all of them are honest. Some disappear with the money with which they were sent to buy something, while other get confused and forget the direction of the room of the sender. This makes the student frustrated as that may be their last money.
While some students see them as a bunch of nuisance on campus and say they should not be allowed into the school, others, especially the lazy ones, claim they are useful.
Though there is nothing wrong in seeing young boys struggling to sustain their means of livelihood, but the rate at which these kids are denied education is alarming. This, no doubt, affects their intellectual and social development.
In as much as these boys remain an important part of the society, government should find a way of compelling parents, especially in the northern region, where the rate of school dropout is high, to send their children to school.
Halima Yusuf wrote from Bayero University, Kano