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From Mohammed Abubakar Dutse
The Jigawa State Government has announced plans to enrol more than 4,500 Almajirai into a structured Tsangaya education system that combines Qur’anic studies with Western education and vocational training.
The Executive Secretary of the Jigawa State Tsangaya Education Board, Dr. Abubakar Maje Himisu disclosed this at a one-day sensitizatn programme for 150 traditional Islamic teachers on the state’s new Almajiri Free Zone initiative.
The programme is designed to move children away from street begging and into organised learning, with accommodation, healthcare, basic welfare and skills training.
Under the initiative, pupils would study the Qur’an, English and Mathematics, alongside vocational skills aimed at helping them become self-reliant after completing their education
To achieve the objective, he said the Board has designated three mega Tsangaya schools being built in Dutse, Kafin Hausa and Ringim to accommodate 1,500 out-of-school children each.
The state Bureau of Statistics data indicate that the state38.5% of children aged 5 to 14 and 32.3% of youths aged 15 to 17 are out of school.
Jigawa currently has more than 5,481 traditional Tsangaya schools, 130 integrated Tsangaya schools, seven modern Tsangaya schools and three mega Tsangaya schools.
The ES also confirmed that the state government had approved N480 million to revive the seven modern Tsangaya schools built during the administration of former President Goodluck Jonathan.
Officials say traditional Islamic teachers will also receive support through farming programmes, including fertiliser and other agricultural inputs, to help them produce food for children under their care and reduce reliance on street begging.
The government also plans to provide solar-powered lighting to Tsangaya schools outside its direct management.
The official warned traditional teachers against travelling to other states to bring additional Almajirai into the state noting that the move would undermine the new policy.
The initiative is part of Jigawa’s wider effort to tackle out-of-school children, improve the traditional Tsangaya system and give vulnerable children a safer environment to learn, live and acquire skills for the future.
