Northern Nigeria Has Highest Number Of Children Out Of School In The World - WB

I can't believe the illiteracy in our north is this chronic, Who is responsible for this great wickedness?

PRESIDENT Goodluck Jonathan has touched off a furore with his controversial programme to build 400 almajiri schools with public funds. By committing federal resources to Quranic schools, the President has taken a dangerous step that could entangle the government in a messy constitutional, political and bureaucratic quagmire. When recently, he inaugurated a special school for almajiris in Sokoto, he took two wrong steps. First, he dabbled directly in primary school education, a function reserved for the states and local governments. Second, he stepped into a constitutional trap since the basic law expressly forbids the government from promoting any religious faith.

The constitutional breach has broad implications. By succumbing to pressure from some quarters, he failed to realise that he was somehow conceding to the blatant attempt by some interest groups to shift responsibility for the presence of over 10 million child-beggars in the North from the host states, where it rightly belongs, to the centre and, by extension, the rest of the country. Giving aid to any religious institution violates the Constitution. Jonathan should back out.

Almajiris are youths, some as young as seven, who are pupils of itinerant Quranic teachers. They are consigned to unmanaged fates. Their entire existence revolves around instruction in the Islamic faith and begging for sustenance, since no one fends for them. They are homeless; some may have left their parents in Maiduguri to end up in Kano, 600 kilometres away. The anachronism in this outmoded form of child abuse has long been acknowledged. What have been lacking are political will to outlaw it, the discipline to enforce free education by the northern states and principled and visionary leadership to declare the practice inhuman.

Babangida Aliyu, Governor of Niger State and Chairman of the Northern Governors’ Forum, has admitted this: “The system of almajiri served a good purpose in the past…but we have passed that stage now. We have now reached a situation with respect to almajiri where we have to be ‘wicked’ in order to be good to ourselves. We must say, ‘No,’ to this system and then work out how to integrate them (almajiris) properly.”

Modern society requires and deserves a truly secular state. We get into problems often because the Nigerian state has a penchant for breaching the Constitution. Nigeria is not a binary nation of Moslems and Christians or of North and South. We boast many faiths (countless profess no faiths at all) and myriad cultures and languages. The 1999 Constitution states: “The Government of the Federation or a State shall not adopt any religion as a State Religion.” The government cannot escape censure for violating, at the least, the spirit of the law, by building, funding and maintaining 400 schools catering exclusively to members of a faith, whose core curriculum is a particular religion. Will the government build schools for other faiths when some states irresponsibly abdicate their responsibility to provide child education and create a mass of beggars and social miscreants?

The Federal Government, through the Universal Basic Education Commission, substantially funds and supports primary education in the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory through grants for buildings and equipment while it provides teachers’ salaries. But not on a discriminatory basis. Even at that, most states cannot access UBEC’s matching grants because they fail to meet their own counterpart funding commitments. While most southern states can be faulted for this lapse, the northern states, with their excessively high levels of illiteracy, can be described outright as negligent.

Between 2005 and 2009, most states failed to access their UBEC grants. Shamsudeen Usman, the National Planning Minister, at a presentation in June 2010, quoting World Bank findings, recalled that Northern Nigeria had the highest number of children not going to school in the world. “The level of education of a people has a direct correlation to their living standards,” said Usman. In a report locating the 10 poorest states in Nigeria in the North in 2007, the Central Bank of Nigeria said that between 1980 and 2004, poverty increased in the Northern states from 36 per cent to 71 per cent compared to 13 per cent to 35 per cent in the southern states. Jigawa had 95 per cent poverty rate in 2004. The same state, with a 77 per cent illiteracy rate, spent billions of naira on information technology education for a few instead of promoting mass primary and secondary education for its millions of illiterates.

Ibrahim Gambari, a former foreign affairs minister, lamenting the dire situation of the North, said, “If you take the education of the girl-child, you see…the South-East having an enrolment rate of 85 per cent, South-West 85 per cent, South-South 75 per cent, North-East 20 per cent and North-west 25 per cent.” According to Nyesom Wike, Minister of state for Education, Borno has overtaken Kano as the state with the highest number of almajiris with 1.9 million child beggars.

Who is to blame? It is the states that should adopt mass education and public enlightenment programmes to get their children into conventional school system. The northern states should begin the task by “domesticating” the Child Rights Act, which makes education compulsory from age six to 15 years and forbids the marriage of girls less than 15. They should devote a substantial part of their resources to mass education and stop politicising religion.

Interrupting violence and transforming almajaris into vibrant citizens require joint efforts. But Jonathan’s approach is wrong. Other stakeholders should challenge the scheme, using legal means. Jonathan has simply caved in to the ongoing blackmail to make the central government accept responsibility for the incompetence, failure and negligence of the states that have created the almajiri problem. This should never be so. The Federal and State governments should stay off religions and their trappings.

http://www.punchng.com/editorial/fg-missteps-on-almajiri-school-scheme/

PHIPEX:
By committing federal resources to Quranic schools, the President has taken a dangerous step that could entangle the government in a messy constitutional, political and bureaucratic quagmire.

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When recently, he inaugurated a special school for almajiris in Sokoto, he took two wrong steps. First, he dabbled directly in primary school education, a function reserved for the states and local governments. Second, he stepped into a constitutional trap since the basic law expressly forbids the government from promoting any religious faith.

The constitutional breach has broad implications. By succumbing to pressure from some quarters, he failed to realise that he was somehow conceding to the blatant attempt by some interest groups to shift responsibility for the presence of over 10 million child-beggars in the North from the host states, where it rightly belongs, to the centre and, by extension, the rest of the country. Giving aid to any religious institution violates the Constitution. Jonathan should back out.

Why hasn't anyone taken the FG and GEJ to court for this?

This is a very Intelligent article by the way. But what the Flying FCCK Man!! Ndu Chucks come and see what the lord has done, another record for you to cherish.

I posted this earlier in response to this Almajiri school issue. I belongs here too. I can't shout.

FG funds Primary Education through the UBE though, but running a primary school? Nah nah nah

They will still need these State leaders to run the schools. The same ones ruining these kids lifes with their incompetence. Shior

Kilode?!:
Why can't these kids be placed in regular muslim elementary schools anyway?

Where are their parents? are they above the law?

If they want muslim schools, we have enough examples of great Muslim Schools in Nigeria to copy from. I.e Ansar ul Deen. These kids can be in regular religious schools if the government is ready to enforce universal basic edcuation laws and put their money and judicial power behind it.

There are good examples of such schools in Nigeria, again, Ansar ul deen is one.

Ansar-ul-deen has been doing a great job educating young and bright muslim minds without losing or violating the tenets of the islamic religion since the 1920's - at least in Western Nigeria.


What are these State Governors doing with UBE money for example? ( http://allafrica.com/stories/201108011750.html ) is it not against the Nigerian UBE act of 1999 to have these so called almajiri chiildren roam the streets with no elementary education in the first place?

Again, this is a Problem with a ready-made and tested homegrown solution, why are we stumbling?

SMH

Kilode?!:
I posted this earlier in response to this Almajiri school issue. I belongs here too. I can't shout.

FG funds Primary Education through the UBE though, but running a primary school? Nah nah nah

They will still need these State leaders to run the schools. The same ones ruining these kids lifes with their incompetence. Shior

It suffices to say, for now, it is impossible and frankly foolhardy to implement reverse social engineering abruptly. Kudos to GEJ for taking the first step. The $98million provided by the Islamic bank towards the education of these innocent and victimied children, is also most appreciated. The bottom line is to render millions of chilren more productive in the society and the 400 Almajiri schools being build, as a fulfillment of one of GEJ's campaign promises, is a welcome development.

Before I can say anything, did anyone bother to check up if this is actually a UN saying or rather yet a Nigerian author saying but using UN to shield him or herself. They've done it before, I won't be surprised if they did it again.

I'm not saying Nigeria isn't a messed up country but I don't think NN has the highest children out of school in the world. Did they exclude the child soldiers in war torn nations all over the world or children from poverty ridden Somalia, Sudan, etc. I don't think this is true I'm just saying, probably the highest children out of school in West Africa but the world? That's unlikely

Is not really cursed?

Yet, you'll see idiiots like Ndu Chucks rather occupying themselves with questions like "Why did Igbos vote GEJ?" Your government is so inept and worthless it can't even build common primary schools for its own people, and now has to sit on its butt and wait for the Feds to now do their work for them, yet these desert rats still sit on their round tables to discuss on how they can increase their begging bowls for more oil allocation money? And all you can think about is 2015 presidency?
God, how the hell did I end up in the same country with these shameless creatures?

Is Nigeria the poorest in the World? No.
Is Northern Nigerian the only region in the World that practices Islam? No.
Is Northern Nigeria the only country that combines Islam with poverty? NO

Why then are our Northern Brethren always coming home with this type of infamous trophies?
Is it a coincidence or a deliberate attempt by some poeple to keep them in perpetual subjugation and make them a willing tool for wrecking havoc?
Why are they so religious to the point of turning poverty to piety?


Certainly, I seem to have questions and questions but who will answer me?

Stale news.

Very stale news

Ejiné: Yet, you'll see idiiots like Ndu Chucks rather occupying themselves with questions like "Why did Igbos vote GEJ?" Your government is so inept and worthless it can't even build common primary schools for its own people, and now has to sit on its butt and wait for the Feds to now do their work for them, yet these desert rats still sit on their round tables to discuss on how they can increase their begging bowls for more oil allocation money? And all you can think about is 2015 presidency?
God, how the hell did I end up in the same country with these shameless creatures?

edoyad: This is a very Intelligent article by the way. But what the Flying FCCK Man!! Ndu Chucks come and see what the lord has done, another record for you to cherish.

I dont agre with you on that issue thanks.

It seems that Nigeria journalist are become desperate by day. This info is not correct period!

@CLEM14,

If you want to sell your product, visit www.chrisvicmall.com. You can reach more customers there. Nairaland is a forum not a market place.

ekt_bear:
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Why hasn't anyone taken the FG and GEJ to court for this?

Maybe because he's a christain and from the south, imagine if this was your old friend Sanusi doing this or any other muslim governor hehehe

mehn, thz is fccck upd! Hw on earth does thz shiiit happen here alone in da world, and 2mao there, when important decishuns r 2 b made, they wil fall bk 2 1956 whn we mvd 4 d independnce bil and the cows were skreaming blue, red, tangerine murdar that they wil be cheated. Nw one wud have had it at the bk of a reasonable mind that cows wil change 2 humans!, by feeding on white pages oda than green grases buh no!, they decidd to transcend in2 almarajis and nw who do they av to blame?

Free south joor

Tell us something new

Not possible. But Naija no dey carry last sha

Does the constitution prevent President Goodluck Jonathan and the FG from intervening where there is acute need that threatens national security either north or south? This is why our media houses are not taken seriously, because when you expect them to make the right comment, they end up compromising. I least expect this from Punch newspaper where is the objectivity in this report? If we are to read this from the Nation newspaper or other pretenders, it is forgivable, certainly not Punch. Just like our lawyers and the entire judicial system, our journalists are part of the problems, they're good at spurning half truths and outright lies to further the interest of their paymasters. We are not fooled.

executinal: Not possible. But Naija no dey carry last sha

How Naija go fit carry last when, judging from that report, e no even qualify to run the race?

Blackberry seller becareful. Here is not marketplace go ty googlebase.co.ng.

Aliko Dangote is the 76th richest individual alive,richest black person,none of the billionaires of british origin comes close to him...That embarrassing figure will drop significantly if someone like him can fill a small plastic kettle[buta] from his vast ocean of wealth and use it to water the educational sector of the north.The north should emulate other parts of nigeria by prioritising education,communities and well off individuals do contribute funds to build schools and offer scholarships to outstanding pupils,old boys/girls ie alumni/alumnae does the same..they should not be depending on govt funds for that.

why always northerners

The North is sooo poor and illiterate and teir rulers functionally illiterated to the extend that SE and SS riches cannot even help them, how did we( SS and SE) end uo with Northerners as a country

Why wont they turn to terrorist? The monster made by the master now is hunting the master. Who is to be blame?

CHESSBOARD: The North is sooo poor and illiterate and teir rulers functionally illiterated to the extend that SE and SS riches cannot even help them, how did we( SS and SE) end uo with Northerners as a country

I have to admit that sometimes the situation in the country will make me ponder why there is something like "Nigeria" but all the same there are still educated and good people in everywhere including the North

Regarding your question, I think you should ask that to the British and others who carried out this practical called Nigeria

baaaad news

yet Dangote is the richest guy in Africa....;

until d average northern wake up to question their wicked leaders; that re still practising only d elite
enjoy; while the masses suffer; nothing will happen...

GEJ is jst doing his part; so that the north elite will not point fingers at him...

The northern leaders should be held responsible 4 all dis nonsense. Having numerous nyarinya's and cash 2 throw around while their pple are suffering

When did Northern Nigeria become a sovereign state? It has highest child illiteracy level "in the world"! Is it in Comparison to Southern Nigeria or Northern parts of other countries? I know of South and North Koreans as two separate states, Sudan and South Sudan as well. No matter how we tried to disassociate ourselves, there is no way you can mock Northern Nigeria without mocking Nigeria because it is still one Nigeria. It simply doesn't make sense. You can only have Northern and Southern Nigeria if you're trying to find out the difference between the two regions. But you can't find out the difference between Northern Nigeria and the rest of the world, no way to do so.