By Fatima Damagun, Email: drfatima0984@gmail.com
Following last week’s article, I received a barrage of emails, either commending or criticising my call for abolishment of the almajiri system of education. I divided the emails into two: those who were for reform of the system and those who agreed that it should be abolished. Sadly, those who wanted a reform of the almajiri system of education were more, which illustrates the point that humans are largely conservative. We would rather stick with what we know and progress slowly than to openly abolish something or embrace change. Well, the only thing constant in life is change.
On May 27, 2023, which was Nigeria’s Children’s Day, the National Commission for Almajiri and Out-of-School Children Education was created as a government parastatal under the direct supervision of the Federal Ministry of Education.
Just like many others before him, the President Bola Ahmed Tinubu government aims to address the menace of almajiranci and out-of-school children through policy reforms. Does anyone remember President Jonathan’s schools that were built for the almajirai in northern Nigeria? That government claimed to have built 137 almajiri schools during his tenure. Sadly, only a few of these schools are operational today. Whatever became of them? What was their impact? How did that curb the menace of almajiranci?
These children are growing in geometrical progression, a population too large for individuals or civil society organisations to handle; and this has turned the Quranic education system into a modern form of slavery and unimaginable child abuse.
A recent report has it that there are more than 10 million almajirai in the streets of northern Nigeria, roaming around without formal education and invariably going to face a bleak future.
The government and people of the North have left this situation to continue, probably due to what many of them derive from it. In their thinking, the education of many is the liberation of all, a situation which will create competition, and which will make them loose their exalted positions; as such, these children are neglected and even subjected to all sorts of ill treatment. It is in their bid to preserve an autocratic and feudal lifestyle, along with safeguarding their political class and way of life that this modern day monster emerged.
The manipulation of religion and Islamic identity by the elite worsen the practice of the almajiri educational system, which the society sees as normal without un-intended effects. Thus, the prevalence of the almajiri nonformal education was influenced more by societal orientation than Islamic injunctions or Sharia in northern Nigeria, as nowhere in the Islamic world is the practice the same with the way Muslims in the Hausa land conceive it. For example, in the South-West, which has many Muslims, this practice is not common or encouraged by Islamic clerics of the region.
Social explosion, violence, drug abuse, political thuggery and sexual abuses, which negate the very primary objective of the educational system, glaringly contradict the Islamic teachings and values in the search for Islamic knowledge. It is in this context that I still emphasise that abolishing the system altogether and holding parents accountable for the children should be the law. The government should be able to abolish the system outright and reform the present group. The law should be such that all young male children of school age would be forced to enroll in schools; and anyone seen wandering in the streets would be captured and returned to his parents. The parents would also be penalised. This way, the entire structure of the Almajiranci system will be disintegrated.
The reforms will be for the current group of boys that are in their teens and may find it difficult to blend into normal schools. Some reforms aim to blend religious and secular education, such
The government should be able to abolish the system outright and reform the present group. The law should be such that all young male children of school age would be forced to enroll in schools; and anyone seen wandering in the streets would be captured and returned to his parents. The parents would also be penalised. This way, the entire structure of the Almajiranci system will be disintegrated.
as the Tsangaya reform, which aims to create integrated schools that prepare students for college and university. Other reforms aim to provide vocational training for older almajirai, such as carpentry, tailoring, and shoemaking. Non-governmental organisations, such as Almacare Health Initiative provides health care services to almajirai.
Nigeria is a country that values and has embraced education for a very long time. We have committed a large chunk of our earnings to the pursuance of education at all levels and adopted education as an instrument per excellence.
The government is of the hope that for the benefit of all citizens, the country’s education goals shall be clearly set out in terms of their relevance to the realities of our environment and the modern world. The policy on education in Nigeria has always meant well for the development of both the individual and the country at large; different regimes (uniformed and civilian) have pursued educational programmes with vigour. It is on record that northerners have ruled this country longer period than the rest part of the country.
Why then have they delayed in incorporating almajiri education into the formal education system? Even the Universal Basic Education (UBE) scheme, which focused on the education of the various segments of the less privileged Nigerians, did not quite address the integration of the almajiri system into the Western education. And when all indices showed that the almajiri educational system was breeding more rogues, hoodlums and beggars in the streets, and that the integration reform was failing, why was it not abolished? Successful northern rulers did not envisage that the neglect of this teaming almajiri population could and would become a menace and a thing of national disgrace in the future.
In 2012, the then Minister of Education, Prof Rukayyatu Ahmed Rufai, emphasised government’s commitment to almajiri schools built by President Jonathan, assuring that they would be equipped to promote both Islamic and Western education. This indicates the schools are intended to remain. However, in order for the schools to thrive, we need to enforce the 2003 Child Rights Act, which guarantees free and compulsory primary education and protects children from exploitation, including begging and hawking. Public media should be used to educate parents on the benefits of education without compromising Islamic values.
These are some of the issues our states and local governments, and even traditional leaders should focus on, not using taxpayers’ money to do ‘auren zawarawa.’
Dr Fatima Damagun is columnist with Weekend Trust