Reviewing and Co-developing A Robust Almajiri Policy Framework to Support Inclusive Education in the Country

Abstract

● The issue of Almajiri in the northern and Out-of-School Children (OOSC) in the southern parts of Nigeria (both sum up to 10.5 million) has become a national embarrassment. ● The almajiri or tsangaya system of education was a widely practiced form of education that did not depend on “begging” for alms for its survival but the ancient system, unlike the present system, was largely self-sustaining by the “parents” of the Almajiris. However, with change in time, the system was exposed to abuses as some parents sent their underage children to schools, sometimes very far away from home, without any provision for their upkeep; this prompted calls for reforms . ● An attempt to bring some reforms during former President Goodluck Jonathan’s administration was made and many Almajiri schools (157) were built across the North specifically to enroll such students to be taught Qur’anic education alongside Western education in a controlled and built environment. ● After a decade, further reform under former President Buhari’s administration culminated in the enactment of the National Commission for Almajiri and the Out of School Children Education Act, 2023. The Act provides for a multi-modal system of education to tackle the menace of illiteracy, develop skill acquisition and entrepreneurship programmes, and prevent youth poverty, delinquency, and destitution in Nigeria. ● Despite all the reform efforts, the Almajiri system has failed to be subsumed into the formal education sector and out-of-school children are still on the increase. Hence, the need for this policy analysis to evaluate the efficacy of the integration of the system