Reform the Almajiri System of Education & Not Ban it:

The Almajiri system of Education has a glorious past that majority of Nigerians are ignorant of. It is the system of education in the West African sub-region well before colonialism. It was the educational system that produced world acclaimed scholars such as Sheikh Abdullah bin Fodio and his famous brother, Sheikh Othman bin Fodio.

In the past, the community take the responsibility of feeding and housing the Islamic scholar with his students. Farmlands were also given to the scholar to farm the foodstuffs he will need and his students. In those days students do not go and beg for food like what we are seeing presently. Feeding and housing the scholar and his students was the duty and responsibility of the community. The institution was well respected then.

Then things changed with the advent of colonialism. Communities absconded from their responsibility and the Almajiris (students) are forced to go from house-to-house begging for the food to eat for themselves and their scholar. They eat the lesser food and take the best ones to their scholar. I once organized an Iftar feast (breaking of Ramadan Fast) for some Almajiris. When they saw that the feast included Chicken pepper soup they boldly told me that they will take that to their scholar. I asked "why?" They said he is their teacher. I insisted but they also insisted. Then I negotiated a compromise. I gave them some money to their scholar to buy chicken and they ate the Iftar feast.

In the past promising children are sent to the Almajiri schools to come out as dignified scholars of Islam unlike now where stubborn children are send.

My suggestion is that the Almajiri system of Education should be reformed to meet current standards. Science and technology subjects should also be introduce. The Shia education seminary is a good example of how to run and fund Islamic education. Experts should be dispatch to these seminary schools in Qum, Najaf, Mashhad etc to learn how they are run.

Funding:

Khums tax is not prominent among Sunni Muslims. So State governments and rich philanthropist should partake in funding the Almajiri system of education. Street begging by these students should be ban. The children are exploited as child labours and abused. They are also recruited by criminal gangs. The Federal government has an important role to play. Former President Goodluck Jonathan built some Almajiri schools in Northern Nigeria and he is a Christian. The Northern elites failed to follow up on this and the schools collapsed.

Wahhabism failed to infiltrate the Almajiri system of education and this must be maintained so as not to turn them into incubators of murderous Wahhabi terrorism. Saudi funding should not be accepted as the Saudi Wahhabi regime only spread Wahhabism, the evil ideology that inspired all the murderous terrorists that are killing the innocent on the name of Islam. Pakistan presently have this problem.

Saudi funded schools are incubators of murderous Wahhabi terrorism in Pakistan. Some of their products were exported to Syria and Iraq as #ISIS. Nigeria should learn from this. Saudi money is poison.

Inputs from prominent Islamic scholars such as Sheikh Dahiru Usman Bauchi and Sheikh Ibraheem Zakzaky are needed on how to reform the Almajiri system of education.

Harun Elbinawi
elbinawi@yahoo.cim

Sorry if I sound offensive to your religion.

But we don't need this at this stage of our development, Almajiri has outgrown its usefulness in the society, time to abolish it. We can't progress as a nation if we keep mixing things with religion. Religion hasn't helped anyone, and it will never!

Way Forward:

* Northern elites should declare a state of emergency on the current educational problem facing the region.

* Almajiri should be totally abolished, and kids should be sent to normal school, how can one function when you mix religious teachings with science? If you want to teach kids about Mohammed or what have you, then you can do that on Friday or Saturday, like the Christians Sunday School service.

* Our major issue as a nation is that we do not know when to abolish things that aren't useful to our present generation. with the level of illiteracy in the northern part of this country, one will wonder what the future looks like for them.

I think this has to do with the culture of the North. I am a Yoruba guy and I also attended Islamic teaching with Alfa (Ile Keu) when I was young, but at thesame time going to school and I know a lot of people that does the same practice.

I’m sorry to say this, the North is still somehow stucked in the past and I do not think there is anymore justification for the Almajiri system.

It will keep bringing Islam in a bad light because people mixed culture with religion and that is a very dangerous thing because it portrays a religion as backward.

Come to think of it, even the whites try as much as separate religion from the state to an extent so I think the Almajiri system should be abolished completely because it has outlived its importance.

This is 2019 for effs sakes. Nobody needs to memorize the Koran. Just get a Koran app on your smartphone.