THE ALMAJIRIAI AT THE CENTER OF FORMAL EDUCATION DEPRIVATION, AND EXCLUSION IN THE GOVERNMENT’S EMERGENCY RESPONSE ON EDUCATION IN THE COVID-19 CRISIS

It is no longer news that over 1000 Almajirai were repatriated from Kano State, Nasarawa, Kaduna, and Gombe to Jigawa State where they came from. This action by the government of these states is in line with the stringent efforts and precautionary measures put in place to curb the spread of the coronavirus. In a statement issued by the governor of Jigawa State, Alhaji Muhammad Badaru, who confirmed the incident stated that the state has taken drastic measures to quarantine the children as events unfold . This is coming amid the federal government’s directives and lock down order in enforcement for the current scourge of the COVID-19 pandemic. Before this incident, there have been previous attempts by smugglers and other road users with their conspirators from the Northern part of the country, to smuggle these Almajiriai into neighboring states and other states in the Southern part of the country which, however, failed. A situation that has generated controversies among the legislators in the upper and lower chambers of the national assembly and has also become a trending topic for the print and electronic media, some civil society organizations, religious institutions, and by some well-meaning Nigerians. It is also breeding conflicts between states and regions of the country.

The Almajiranci system is a scholastic system of semi-formal education practiced in the Northern part of Nigeria by selected Islamic male and female children called Almajiri and Almajira. They seek Islamic knowledge by repetition and recitation of the Quran which forms part of their behavioral abilities. These impoverished children who take refuge in compelled life of chastity are from poor homes where they never attended formal education because they cannot afford it. They are sent out as migrants to other communities where they get enrolled in the Almajirai schools and spend the rest of their childhood. But of recent, the flagrant abuse and collapse of the system have led to some children resort to alms begging, forceful child labor, street urchins and exposed to Islamic radicalization, and all forms of criminalization amongst other things it exposes them to. Recently, the Northern state governors in their forum agreed to ban the Almajirai system without any immediate action plan to neither deal with the present itinerant situation, replacing the ban system of education with formal education, providing emergency palliatives for the welfare of these children, nor even preventing them from being exposed to the dreaded coronavirus.

This explains why the Almajirai are smuggled into other neighboring states and are found roaming and wandering about the streets in search of a better livelihood. How have the state and federal government been able to manage the Almajirai education which failed and gave rise to this influx of the children under their care, into other states of the federation? What knowledge or skill do these children acquire after 5 to 10 years of semi-formal education? What does their future look like in terms of career choice and ambition? A more specific question would be, do the Almajirai curricula develop the children’s reading, writing, science, mathematics, and creative thinking skills and abilities? Of course, your guess would be as good as mine. Nigeria is a signatory to the United Nations Convention of the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) which is one of the nine core treaties the convention seeks to address. The Almajiari system violates in many ways the international convention and the nation’s laws. How well can it fully respect that convention when UNICEF identified and made statements on some factors that are responsible for education deprivation of children in the country, especially in the Northern region of the country. It identified economic hardship, socio-cultural believes, and practices that put the children out of school by not supporting formal education. Still x-raying the 2019 UNICEF report, it is estimated that about 10.5 million children are out of school, a further statistic shows that over 60 percent of children who attend Islamic Quranic schools from the North-east and North-west region of Nigeria, do not receive numeracy and literacy knowledge, therefore are considered as being out of school.

As the country roll out road-map at achieving the Sustainable Development Goal no.4 “Ensure Inclusive and Equitable Quality Education and Promote Lifelong Learning Opportunity for All”, the Almajiranci system of education poses tremendous threats if attention is not given to the full implementation of the structured policy for Almajirai education, developed by Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC). In that document by UBEC, it is embedded in it a strategic framework by the federal government of Nigeria to build integrated Almajirai model schools equipped with school facilities, provide aids for community-owned primary schools in the localities practicing the Almajiriai system, and introduce curricula that will help develop the children’s cognitive ability. On the other hand, the objectives of UBEC on the structured policy is to make education equal and accessible for all Almajirai children, discourage the migration of children to different communities far and wide in the quest for Islamic education but end up turning to street beggars, and facilitate a harmonized curricula that support the integration of Islamic discipline into the basic educational program. With all these policies and strategic framework designed for the Almajiari education, a host of other issues come to play. One of the biggest challenges experienced in this region is the insurgency which has even made the vulnerable children become beautiful brides for terrorists activities. As the national security adviser (NSA) to the president Babagana Munguno, warned on the dangers ahead if the Almajiranci system should persist, he emphasized that the nation might be sitting on a keg of gunpowder about to explode, if nothing is being done to abolish the system. He said this at a symposium organized for the nation’s revised national security strategy for 2019.

The scourge of the corona virus has deepened the chances of the children in acquiring formal education. The recent emergency policy on education by the Federal Ministry of Education (FME) with regards to the impacts of the coronavirus is clearly written in black and white, with no policy consideration given to the Almajiari education. The emergency policy tagged, Learn at Home Program (LHP) focuses on the use of a combination of online, radio, and TV to ensure continuation in learning by the learners. It’s a system that is being updated with time to ensure its full productivity and adaptation. Under the system, the teachers and learners being captured are those enrolled in the formal and non-formal education system. The system is designed and managed by a task team on curriculum development, under the auspices of the Federal Ministry of Education and the coordination and supervision by the Universal Basic Education Commission. One thing that remains worrisome is who has taken responsibility for the deprivation of these children from having a better education. The government seems not to take proactive action on the issue because of the underlying factors associated with the system. While some countries are developing an alternative to face-to-face learning, the Almajiari is struggling with an archaic religious education system that aids no development of a child neither does it develop the society. The Almajiari system is opposed to any form of human rights resolution, and obviously repugnant to natural justice, equity, and fairness. Therefore, I join the voices of concerned citizens and those that call for it to be abolished and replaced with formal education. A way forward should be first, to domesticate and enforce the UNCRC and the Child rights act 2003, with full compliance by the governors of the Northern region, review the UBEC policy on Almajiari education which should be modified in line with the current pandemic situation, relocate these children to safer regions to avert them from being recruited or indoctrinated by the insurgents, and finally reunite them with their families and loved ones.

Written by
Okechukwu Chijike Nnodim