Stakeholders Propose Robust Policy To Address Almajiri Education System

Stakeholders at a one-day presentation of Civil Society Organizations position on the Revitalization of the Almajiri- Tsangaya System of Education in Nigeria have proposed a robust policy with legal backing from the National Assembly to address Almajiri education system.

At event in Abuja, the Minister of State for Education, Professor. Suwaiba Ahmad, said this was to ensure that every Almajiri, not only benefits from Islamic education but also has the opportunity to be a functional and effective member of the society.

According to scholars, lack of reform and regulation of the Tsangaya education in Nigeria places the Almajiri at a risk of abuse, exploitation, radicalization and manipulation hence the need for policy backing.

The Minister of State for Education, Professor. Suwaiba Ahmad confirmed that the ministry had already begun a process of developing a national policy on Almajiri and would also sponsor a bill to the National Assembly.

“We want to ensure that each and every Almajiri, not only benefits from Islamic education, Quranic memorisation, but also has the opportunity to be a functional and effective member of the society.

“The ministry has already begun a process of developing a national policy on Almajiri and will also sponsor a bill to the National Assembly.”

“Every government, from Obasanjo’s time, had initiatives, but they were not sustainable, when another government comes, it stops.”

The minister noted that the present administration had made outstanding educational investments constructing 7,200 new schools, renovating 195,000 classrooms, producing 1,680,000 school furniture, training one million teachers, supplying two million teaching aids and distributing 103 million textbooks among others.

The Executive Secretary, National Commission for Almajiri and Out-of-School Children, Dr Muhammad Idris, highlighted severe abuses against Almajiri children, citing cases of blindness, sodomy, and starvation, while condemning systemic neglect and discrimination.

“Abdullahi, a 12-year-old boy was battling with his health last three months in Kano because he was sodomized by his master in his attempt to feed him.”

“I met Ibrahim last year around 11 p.m. in Abuja, having been beaten by the rain of that day, crying, he said, ‘I couldn’t eat in the last 24 hours,” he said.

Idris praised President Tinubu’s commitment to reforming Almajiri education and thanked education ministers for their relentless efforts to end child street begging.

The Country Director, PLAN International, Charles Usei, said that the organisation had been spearheading a revitalization effort to reform Nigeria’s Almajiri education system.

“You can only have so much policies that don’t make sense if you don’t bring it to action. Once there is no policy legislation, the government doesn’t prioritise it.”

Charles Usei, noted that the initiative encouraged accountability and demand that the Almajiri Commission produce reliable data and secure legislation to ensure sustainability.

”The initiative pushed for accountability, demanding the Almajiri Commission to produce reliable data and secure legislation to ensure sustainability amid disputes.”