Pastoralists’ enthusiasm for western education in Kogi, amidst challenges

From Itodo Daniel Sule, Lokoja    In Kogi State, pastoralists are not only passionate about their cattle rearing businesses, but are very enthusiastic about providing formal education for their children and wards. At the moment, there are 25 nomadic primary schools spread across 12 local government areas in Kogi State, to meet the basic education […]

From Itodo Daniel Sule, Lokoja 

 

In Kogi State, pastoralists are not only passionate about their cattle rearing businesses, but are very enthusiastic about providing formal education for their children and wards.

At the moment, there are 25 nomadic primary schools spread across 12 local government areas in Kogi State, to meet the basic education needs of the pastoralists.

The schools are located in Ajaokuta, Ankpa, Adavi, Dekina, Okehi, Kabba-Bunu, Ijumu, Lokoja, Yagba West, Yagba East, Okene and Mopa-muro local government areas of the state. 

However, the lack of the needed educational structures and teachers in these schools, seem to be dampening that zeal. 

Recently, a supervisory team from the National Commission for Nomadic Education, Kaduna, alongside officials of the Kogi State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB) and representative of Kogi State governor took a tour of the schools  to ascertain their status. 

The team which was led by the Director of Finance and Account at the Commission, Alhaji Abubakar Sadiq Yayangida, moved round the schools, where it was observed that lack of teachers and conducive educational structures were the major challenges facing the progress of nomadic education in the state. 

During a visit to one of the nomadic schools at Kara Gegu in Kogi/Kotonkarfe local government area of the state, there was a show of passion and enthusiasm for formal education amongst the pastoralists.

The pastoralists comprising men and women alongside their school age children ,all gathered at the nomadic school they built to receive their visitors.

The nomads, who could not hide their excitement  at  having such important visitors in their remote settlement, went on to speak on their plight in the areas of access to formal education and other social amenities.

Community leader of Kara Gegu, Alhaji Musa Shaibu, while expressing delight  at  the visit, noted that his people are eager to embrace western education but for lack of teachers. 

He said that members of the community in a quest to ensure their children acquire formal education, put up a school structure made with bricks, and improvised some wooden planks to serve as desks.

According to him, the State Universal Basic Education Board posted a teacher to  teach children in the community sometimes ago.

He however expressed concern  that for over a year now, the said teacher was no longer coming to teach the children due to non payment of his salaries by the government.

According to him, one of the elders in the community, Alhaji Jaidu who is now late, had on many occasions sold his livestock to pay the teacher so he could continue to teach the children. 

He appealed to the state government to provide the community a befitting school structure with teachers, adding that the community has a large population of school age children desirous to acquire formal education. 

On her part, leader of women in the community, Halima Abubakar appealed to the government to establish an adult education centre for women in the community, saying that many of the Fulani women are eager to learn how to read, write and communicate in English language. 

She said that women in the community had on their own put up a structure that would serve as the adult education centre, adding that they only need government to send them teachers and learning materials for teaching to commence for them. 

According to her, the community had been neglected by the government for over 20 years of its existence in the state, saying that there are  no social amenities such as water, school and health facilities. 

Speaking earlier, Abubakar Sadiq Yayangida stated that the objective of moving round was to authenticate active schools ,and gather data for planning and budgetary activities. 

“To gather this information, we have developed instruments. We will look at the instructional materials, enrolments, qualifications of teachers, transition, parents and what have you, to enable us gather data and analyse.

“We have been moving round and you see that there’s a lot of passion for education amongst the pastoralists. And again you have seen for yourself that there are issues with the structures and learning environment. The environment is not conducive for learning. 

“There are serious problems in terms of the structures and teachers. Teacher truancy is one of the challenges. We just sampled one of the schools and they told us that since they lost the teacher posted to them over a year ago, there were yet to get replacement. 

“There is need to encourage more teachers to be coming to teach these children. We have a situation where it is only one teacher who handles all the lessons.

He however said that with the commitment being expressed by the state government, he was optimistic of a bright future for nomadic education in the state. 

On his part, the Kogi State Coordinator of nomadic education, Abdulkadir Adoga said the challenge they had was due to the non challant attitude of the previous administrations towards nomadic education in the state. 

“We inherited nomadic education from Benue and Kwara states with 35 teachers in all. They formed the bulk of teachers we have in Kogi. Since the creation of the state, we have lost six teachers who are from various nomadic schools across the state. 

“There has been no replacement and no new recruitments, and that is why we are facing problems  of acute shortage of teachers in nomadic primary schools in the state. 

“Out of the 25 schools, it is only Nomadic Primary school Abobo 1 in Adavi LGA that has a standard structure. It was built by the Commission in 2013. There have been no structures put in place in the remaining schools. 

“In most places, the pupils learn under trees. They use their laps as their desks. We about 3,881 pupils across the 25 nomadic schools at the moment. 

He said the Commission for Nomadic Education has been sending them learning materials, but the lack of teachers has  been the challenge. 

“When you have the learning instruments and you don’t have the teachers, you can’t do anything. We have text books for Mathematics, English Language and host of others, but no teachers to handle them and where we have the teachers, they are inadequate.

“How would you expect a single teacher to teach from primary one to six. What we usually ask the teachers to do is to adopt a multigraded teaching method by combining two classes or more,” he said.  

Apart from  the challenge of teachers, early marriage amongst the Fulani girls also remains a problem, according to Adoga, adding “you can hardly see a female Fulani getting to primary six.”

“Once they are getting to maturity, they marry them off. In fact by their culture, their first menstruation should be done in their husbands’ house. You see that by the time some of them are in primary four, they are mature already. There is need for more advocacy in that regard”, he said. 

Governor Yahaya Bello who was represented by his Senior Special Assistant on Civil Society Organisations and NGOs, Hajiya Nana Abu Ali said the governor was committed to the education of pastoralists and their general wellbeing. 

“He is a people oriented governor and that was why when there were complaints from all over the country about the cattle colony, he said he’s open to the people to come here and establish themselves. 

“That means he has an interest in the wellbeing of pastoralists. For me to be here today, he gave the approval to observe and listen to the people’s plight and give him a feedback. Now they have told us they do not have schools and where they have, they probably built it themselves but lack teachers. 

“And then the women also told me they do not have water.  They have to go very far away in search of water and their children also go far away in search of western education. 

“And I have promised them on behalf of his excellency that their plights would be looked into. The issues on ground now have been there before the present administration came on board, and I can assure that the governor we have is a visionary leader. 

“I have seen their enthusiasm. If they could build their own school, we will be ready to support them. We will ensure the children are provided conducive learning environment and teachers.

According to her, encouraging western education amongst the pastoralists would go a long way in addressing the level of conflicts between them and farmers “because when they are able to read about others, it will promote better understanding.”

On his part, the Director of School Services at Kogi SUBEB, Ajibola Gabriel Folorunsho said the Board would look into the challenges  bedevilling  nomadic education 

Ajibola, who represented the Executive Chairman of SUBEB during the tour, noted that his principal is a passionate lover of education,  and would ensure the progress of nomadic schools in the state. 

“I have seen and I have heard. I know he is a lover of education and knows most of the problems facing education in Kogi. We are so much interested in the nomads. Will ensure success of the programme,” he said.