CHILDREN caught in the web of the Almajiri system, an unconventional traditional education practice in Northern Nigeria, face uncertain future as they continue to be left out of the country?s formal education system.

Many of the affected children are believed to be from rural and underprivileged families.

Saturday Tribune correspondents report the aspirations of some of these hapless Almajiri kids who bared their minds in separate interviews. Many of them expressed the desire to be given Western education with some saying they wanted to become professionals such as medical doctors and teachers.

Murtala, 11

Eleven-year-old Murtala from Santa Kado village in Katsina State said he came to Kaduna, Kaduna State, to receive the knowledge of Islam and the Qur?an. He said his school was in Kadaure in Chikun Local Government Area and he daily trekked 10 kilometers to beg before he could feed. He said his dream was to become a top government official. Asked whether he would like to become a governor or a minister, he quickly responded, ?Governor?. He was, however, at a loss as to how to achieve this dream. He simply said, ?I don?t know.?

Yahya Sanni, seven years old

Yahya Sanni, a seven-year-old Almajiri student, said he had been in the system for about three years. He lives in Sokoto.

?I came here about three years ago to learn Arabic. I am from Katsina State and my parents are in Katsina. I go home once in a while, as I fend for myself. I wish I could go to a conventional school so that I can have the opportunity of becoming a medical doctor.

?I have the belief that one day, I will make money and I will help people; I will give them food the same way some people are giving us now.?

Mubarak Sanusi

Mubarak Sanusi, another Almajiri boy in Sokoto, said he migrated from Zamfara State. He said he would have preferred to have Western education but since he couldn?t achieve that, he decided to go for the Islamiyah.

?I have been here in Sokoto for about five years. I came here when I was five years old. I would love to go to school but there is no one to be responsible for sending me there, so I am focusing on my Islamic classes.

?I love medical doctors. I wish I could become one of them but I am not going to school, so I can?t be one of them. I appeal to the government to help us, Almajiri children, this year so that we can also go to school and become responsible citizens.?

Abdulsamad, 10

Abdulsamad is from Kakumi in Faskari Local Government Area of Katsina State. The 10-year-old said his ambition was to become a pilot. According to him, whenever an airplane or a fighter jet flies over his village, his wish is to be the one piloting It. He appealed to the government to provide him and other Almajiri children with the opportunity to achieve their dreams.

Abdulaziz, 13

Abdulaziz is 13 years old and he is from Katsina State, too. His dream? To become a teacher. He said he would like to teach in a formal school or Quranic school. He also called for the government?s help.

Balarabe, 15

Balarabe, a 15-year-old Tsangaya school kid from Zamfara State, expressed delight with the school he was attending. He said there, students were taught Islam and given formal education. According to him, apart from the various subjects on Islam and jurisprudence, they are also taught English Language and Mathematics by the teachers deployed in the Tsangaya school.

?We have everything here. We don?t have to go anywhere else. We have water, good beds and other facilities to keep us warm and safe. We are indeed, grateful to the state government,? he said.

Ahmed Bala

Another pupil, Ahmed Bala, said the only way Almajiri children could grow to become respectable, productive and acceptable members of the larger society was when such Tsangaya schools with boarding facilities were established across the northern states, especially in the North-West and North East with large populations of child-urchins.

Like Balarabe, who expressed the desire to pursue a career in Engineering, Ahmed said he wanted to study Medicine.

Bello Muhammad

Bello Muhammad, an Almajiri student in the Manna Baba area of Sokoto State, said, ?If I had the opportunity to see Mr President, I would appeal to him to bring the prices of foodstuffs down. The people that always gave us food have stopped. They are claiming they don?t have enough to even feed themselves.?

Buhari Mallam

Buhari Mallam said he was from Zamfara State. He said he was intent on becoming a scholar in the future. ?My dream is to become an Islamic scholar like my teacher,? he said simply.

Umar

Umar, a former Almajiri now a diploma holder in Computer Science, gave an insight into how he felt the Almajiri system could be addressed. According to him, there are estimated two million Almajiri children in his local government of origin, Birnin Kudu in Jigawa State.

?You see, tackling the problem of the Almajiri system is not easy given the rate at which the villagers give birth. In the village here, a young man would marry two wives and before he attains the age of 30, he would have had about 15 children. Most of these children don?t go to any kind of school, Quranic or formal. This is the problem. Year in, year out, millions of these children are pushed into the streets. Controlling this kind of situation is very difficult.?

Umar noted that the government could do two things to tackle the problem. ?If the government constructs good roads in the rural communities, it could assist most parents to earn money and take care of their children. But the insecurity in most of these communities in the country has worsened the situation.

?The other thing is to provide farm inputs like fertiliser, pesticide, insecticide and farm implements free to farmers or at subsidise rates. This would greatly help in making food available assist many parents take care of their children. Unfortunately, governments hardly care about these things and this is at the core of the issues that are aiding the Almajiri syndrome.? (Saturday Tribune)

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