Almajiri, Out-of-School Children Crisis Surmountable, Says Remi Tinubu
Nigeria’s First Lady, Senator Remi Tinubu, has expressed confidence that the challenges surrounding the Almajiri and out-of-school children crisis are significant but not insurmountable.
Senator Tinubu made this statement while receiving the Executive Secretary and other members of the National Commission for Almajiri and Out-of-School Children in her office on Friday.
In a statement issued by her media aide, Busola Kukoyi, the First Lady acknowledged the importance of religious education, noting that there is nothing wrong with children seeking knowledge about God early in life. However, she stressed the need for proper regulation and monitoring of such systems to prevent abuse and exploitation.
“Yes, there is nothing wrong with seeking knowledge about God. To address the issue of Almajiri and out-of-school children, is it huge? Yes. Is it challenging? Yes. But is it insurmountable? Yes, it is not,” she affirmed.
She emphasized that all Imams and Ulamas involved in the Almajiri system must be properly registered and documented by the relevant authorities. She highlighted the importance of ensuring that those who are not registered would not be allowed to operate in the system. This step, she stated, would help check the abuse of vulnerable children.
“The people who exploit these vulnerable ones have no fear of God. They have exploited them for too long,” she said.
The First Lady also proposed that schools for the Almajiri children should be structured as boarding institutions, where they can receive both religious and formal education, in addition to skills acquisition training. She urged that the approach be gradual, starting with one successful school before expanding further.
In addition, Senator Tinubu shared plans for the Renewed Hope Initiative (RHI), specifically the “Flow-With-Confidence Initiative,” aimed at keeping girls in school during their monthly cycles.
Earlier in the meeting, Dr. Muhammad Idris, Executive Secretary of the National Commission for Almajiri and Out of School Children Education, revealed that the current number of Almajiri and out-of-school children in Nigeria is estimated at 30 million and 18.5 million, respectively. He described these statistics as deeply concerning.
Dr. Idris also shared that a pilot school will be established in Kaduna State to offer Quranic, Arabic, English education, and skills training, using a curriculum developed by the Federal Ministry of Education.
The Commission’s goal is to reintegrate 8 million out-of-school children back into education within the next two years.
Dr. Idris commended President Bola Tinubu and the First Lady for their dedication and commitment to addressing the issue of out-of-school children in Nigeria.
