Re: Almajiri: Abolition Versus Reform
New year, old problems. It seems the Almajiri debate is not yet over. This week, I will be handing over to a befitting rejoinder stating why the system should be restructured and not abolished. Enjoy! I will be back next week Insha Allah. Assalamu alaikum Inna Fatima. I am a regular reader of your […]
New year, old problems.
It seems the Almajiri debate is not yet over. This week, I will be handing over to a befitting rejoinder stating why the system should be restructured and not abolished.
Enjoy! I will be back next week Insha Allah.
Assalamu alaikum Inna Fatima. I am a regular reader of your column on Weekend Trust newspaper. You are a good writer, however, at times, you tend to be emotional in some of your write-ups. I can understand, you are a woman and a mother.
I am writing this following your recent article on an unfortunate incident where you rescued an Almajiri pupil, got him treated and sent him home to his mother. This incident provoked you torecommending the abolition of the Almajiri system of education. You went on to state that humans are largely conservative. That’s your opinion though. To some of us, the incident inspired learning, research and innovation.
I belong to a group where we can reform the system. This is in conformity to the Japanese adage- Yo shina, yo kangai (meaning – good thinking gives good results/products).
The United Nations, Education, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) recommends that every nation should set aside 26% of its national budget for education. There’s no developing nation that has been able to meet up with the benchmark.
Through research and development by the Academic Staff Union of Nigerian Universities (ASUU), the issue of imposing education tax on all registered companies in Nigeria to intervene in arresting the infrastructural decays in all the public tertiary institutions across the country came about. This led to the establishment of the Education Trust Fund that later changed to Tertiary Education Trust Fund(TETFUND).
There are good cases in some parts of Northern Nigeria where we learn and adopt the reform. Some Emirate councils play a vital role in an attempt to reform the system of Almajiri education.
(a) We have the establishment of Special Nomadic Academy, Sabon Gida, in a village less than 20km from Keffi, Nasarawa State. It is a private boarding school which started in a 14-room compound by one Malam Torajo. The proprietor’s contribution to his people is to eradicate street begging among Fulani children that attend the traditional Tsangaya schools. There are children aged 5-10 years from Niger, Taraba, Adamawa and Nasarawa states learning there. Moderate fees are paid and parents are willing to pay. The patron of the Academy is His Royal Highness, the Emir of Keffi, Dr Shehu Usman Chindo Yamusa. The traditional Tsangaya system of education in the Academy is integrated with western system. The state governor, Engr Abdullahi Sule; Sen Abdullahi Adamu and Sen Ahmed Wadada and other prominent personalities are lending their support the noble course.
(b)His Royal Highness, the Emir of Gombe, Alhaji Abubakar Shehu Abubakar on ascending the throne of his forebears established a Tsangaya school in his palace. Initially, he single-handedly founded the take-off of the school and also partook in teaching. Pupils are admitted from neighbouring villages along with children of the urban poor. The achievement of His Royal Highness, prompted the state government to build a mega boarding Tsangaya school in Gombe. Early this year, the school was commissioned and dignitaries from different parts of Northern Nigeria attended the ceremony. His Eminence, the Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Sa’ad Abubakar was the special guest of honor. Funding for the school is gotten through levies to private individuals in the Emirate.
(c) The Emirate Council of Argungu in Kebbi State under the leadership of His Royal Highness, the Emir of Argungu, Alhaji Sama’ila Mohammed Mera also established a similar boarding Tsangaya school in Argungu. The school has been in existence for two decades. Pupils from poor background and from the villages under the Emirate are admitted and those children from Argungu are educated as day students. Parents that can’t pay the moderate fees are made to pay with grains they produce from their farms.
(d) The former governor of Kano State, Sen Ibrahim Shekarau, Sardaunan Kano single-handedly established a Tsangaya Model School in Kano. It integrates the teaching of Islamic and western system of education. Children of the poor from the metropolis and surrounding villages are admitted in the school. It is an attempt to support poor parents and to eliminate street begging. The Director General of the school is Dr Gambo Ado, a scouter, educationist who studied up to PhD in Sudan.
Let’s analyse the policy reform made by the present administration by creating National Commission for Almajiri and out-of School Children Education to address the menace. Just like many others before President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, former President Jonathan’s administration claimed to have built 137 Almajiri schools during his tenure. Where is the impact, if I may ask? It was a political gimmick to gain support from core North to support his re-election. Only his supporters benefitted from the contract largesse to build the schools. A lot of uncompleted Almajiri schools are scattered in the North.
Even those that were completed, very few of them were converted into the regular primary schools under States Universal Basic Education Boards (SUBEB). The National Commission for Almajiri is just another agency under the Federal Ministry of Education making it the 26th. All public tertiary institutions, including unity schools are funded by the budgetary allocation under the ministry.
You also highlighted in your write-up that these children are growing in geometrical progression, a population too large for individuals and civil society to handle. Civil society organisations like the Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) if sensitised and briefed with success stories from the examples earlier narrated above, can support and intervene in eradicating this form of slavery.
There’s no adequate data in terms of population of the Almajiri/ Tsangaya schools. Alot of them are roaming urban areas and few can be sighted in rural areas. The Arewa Conservative Forum in collaboration/ consultations with the Northern traditional leadership can offer a lot of support, like identifying the existence of the schools through the district heads, village heads and ward heads. There are 413 local government Areas in Northern Nigeria. The North Central zone with six states has 114 LGAs; North Eastern zone with similar states has 112 LGAs and North Western zone, being the largest has seven states with 187 LGAs
On the issue you raised about manipulation of religion and Islamic identity by the elites worsening the practice of the Almajiri education system; this is far from it; the elites are ignorant on how the system works. The system of education is influenced more by poverty and lack of Islamic knowledge from the populace of the rural areas. With proper enlightenment, this can be supported by all of us, the elites particularly from members of alumni associations in Northern Nigeria, ACF and the leadership of the Emirate Councils.
You also advised that states, local governments and traditional leaders should focus on education rather than using the tax payers’ money for “auren zawarawa”. Please note that the population of zawarawa is increasing and causing havoc to the society. The cost of funding education is higher than funding auren zawarawa.
I write to appeal to you to reach out to prominent personalities to initiate this worthy cause. Secondly, as a good writer and medical personnel, you can extend this proposal to ACF through its Secretary General, Matawallen Gombe, Alhaji Murtala Aliyu.
Professor Idris Bugaje, Executive Secretary, National Board for Technical Education, Kaduna is another personality too. During his tenure as the Rector, Kaduna Polytechnic, he initiated the marriage of convenience between the institution and the Panteka fabricating market in Kaduna. The market is famous for fabricating local households items that are as good as foreign ones. The trainers and the trainees had no formal education and have been integrated into Polytechnic syllabus for award of certificates. The older Almajiri in their teens can be absorbed into the Panteka Training Centre.
I will be highly grateful if you can use your column to present this rejoinder and the following recommendation for necessary actions.
* To contact the Secretary General of the ACF for implementation;
* To request the ACF to contact the four established Almajiri schools as narrated earlier;
* To appeal to the ACF to reach out to the Sultan of Sokoto
* To reach out to the Alumni Associations in all the tertiary institutions across Northern Nigeria to contribute to funding of a reform for Almajiri system of education. Each membe,r including you and I to contribute N1,000 per month.
* To reach out to corporate organisations to adopt a pupil concept of support as social corporate responsibility.
In conclusion, the journey of a thousand miles starts with a good idea. It may not be easy but it is a task that must be done by you and I. I am willing and ready to contribute my experience for this noble cause.
Thank you, Inna Fatima. You share same name as my late mother. Happy New year.
Arc Isah Adamu Mann wrote from Minna, Nigeria State.