Re: Lawwali, almajiri

Its lack of political will and vision that is responsible for the exponential increase in the population of almajirai occupying cities and major towns in the North. The system of almajiranci has descended from its pristine state in the 50s and 60s to what obtains today – a safety valve through which rural folks unload […]

Its lack of political will and vision that is responsible for the exponential increase in the population of almajirai occupying cities and major towns in the North. The system of almajiranci has descended from its pristine state in the 50s and 60s to what obtains today – a safety valve through which rural folks unload their children on to cities and towns on the pretext that that’s where their wards will receive religious education. The almajiranci that I witnessed while growing up was one where boys were sent out only during the dry season period (rani), after the harvest. They would stay with their Mallams until the onset of the rainy season when they would be taken back to their villages to join their families in farm-work. One would search in vain then for almajiri to donate food to. It is necessary to note that traditional authorities then were able to moderate this migration; in some years banning it altogether.
The current situation is a mockery of the injunction to Muslims to seek education no matter how far the search takes them. Parents now are abdicating their responsibilities to cater for their wards, hiding behind that injunction. What to, do given political will and vision, is to ban almajiranci altogether and proceed to engage neighbourhood Mallams across communities – cities, towns, villages and hamlets – to give religious instructions to children in their own surroundings, even if they don’t attend primary schools. The type of religious instructions 4 -15 year olds require can be provided by the village Imams and their colleagues.  The Mallams should be paid from the huge sums of money Northern state governments expend on the Hajj and sponsorship of Umrah.
There should be no compromise or half-way measures; otherwise we will be creating, in the future, a Pakistani-type madrassa system with all its consequences.
M T Usman, [email protected]