From Abdulrazaq Mungadi, Gombe
The Gombe State government has announced plans to establish a commission to address the crisis of Almajiri and out-of-school children in the state.
The initiative aims to integrate traditional Islamic education with formal Western curricula to ensure inclusive access to quality education for all children in Gombe.
Governor Muhammadu Inuwa Yahaya disclosed this during a statewide broadcast on Wednesday, May 28, commemorating the sixth anniversary of his administration. The governor emphasised the administration’s commitment to inclusive education and human capital development as critical pillars of sustainable development in Gombe.
He said, “We are also working on establishing an Almajiri and Out-of-School Children Commission, thus demonstrating our innovative approach to blending traditional Islamic learning with modern Western education in order to leave no child behind.”
Highlighting successes in the education sector over the past six years, Governor Yahaya noted, “Through the Better Education Service Delivery for All (BESDA) programme, we successfully mopped up over 350,000 out-of-school children into formal education. To sustain this progress, we are building modern Integrated Almajiri Tsangaya Centres in each local government area and appointed a Special Adviser on Almajiri Education.
“Following the declaration of a state of emergency in the education sector in 2019, our administration’s comprehensive education reforms have yielded remarkable results across all levels. We have constructed and renovated over 1,600 classrooms in 350 schools and recruited more than 1,000 qualified teachers to enhance learning outcomes.”
The governor added that the administration has upgraded five legacy schools to modern mega colleges and established the Secondary Schools Management Board for quality oversight. He noted that mandatory mock exams introduced by the administration have improved academic outcomes, boosting national exam pass rates from 22% in 2019 to 76% in 2024.
“These interventions have positioned Gombe as a national leader in education innovation, earning commendations from the Federal Ministry of Education and development partners for our holistic, data-driven approach to systemic improvement in learning outcomes,” Yahaya stated.