The President, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan, has said that the North West geopolitical zone accounts for more than 60 per cent of the nation’s over 9.5 million almajiris.
Jonathan said the development portends grave danger for the country as the almajiris, mostly without any formal education, will not be in a position to contribute anything meaningfully to the nation’s development, which is now mainly knowledge driven.
The President spoke on Tuesday at the commissioning of the 35th of such Model Almajiri Boarding School in Sokoto, Sokoto State.
The North East geopolitical zone is made up of Sokoto, Kebbi, Zamfara, Kano, Katsina and Kaduna States.
Jonathan said at the occasion, which is the 35th in the promised 400 schools for the almajiris: “Today’s occasion is truly historic. The nation is marking yet another milestone in our educational development process with the commissioning of the Model Almajiri Boarding School. This is the first modern boarding school entirely dedicated to the Almajiri as part of our Administration’s determined effort to provide equal access to education for all Nigerian children.
“Knowledge is the pedestal on which a nation’s social cohesion and economic development depends. No nation achieves greatness if its youths, who are its greatest assets and successor generation, have no access to quality education.
“This is even more real in today’s knowledge-driven world. Unfortunately, and in spite of the best efforts of Government, the goal of providing access to quality education has not been fully realised in Nigeria.”
The plan by the government is that the first 100 of the promised 400 schools would be ready by June.
The President said that the investment in the education of the almajiris was driven by a study conducted by the Ministerial Committee on Almajiri Education in 2010 that revealed that the country has over 9.5 million almajiris, withe the North West geopolitical zone accounting for almost five million out of the figure.
Jonathan added in his speech at the commissioning today: “The fact that the majority of these children do not attend conventional Basic Education schools makes the situation quite worrisome.
“Our Administration believes that the time has come for the nation to build on the moral foundations of the traditional school system by providing the Almajiri with conventional nowledge and skills that will enable them fully realize their creative and productive potentials.
“It is with this objective in mind that I directed the Minister of Education sometime last year to liaise with the stakeholder State Governments and work out, as a matter of urgency, the best approach to providing knowledge and skills to these young Nigerians.
“The conclusion was that robust affirmative action involving structured intervention by both the Federal and State Governments would be required. While the Federal Government would provide funds for the construction and equipment of model schools, including the provision of textbooks and capacity-building for teachers; the States shall be fully responsible for managing the schools as well as the construction of additional schools in the long run in order to achieve the desired impact.
“It is noteworthy that under this arrangement, the Federal Government has so far constructed 35 of such model schools. States with large populations of Almajiri will have both the boarding and day schools. Each school is equipped with a basic science laboratory, a computer room, vocational education workshop and a library. Similarly, textbooks aligned to the national curriculum have been produced and teachers will be trained in line with the national policy on education and the national curriculum.
“The commissioning of the first model school in Sokoto today is only a precursor to the commissioning of other such schools, including the Day School located in Tambuwal town, which shall commence shortly.
“Additional support to States for the Almajiri education project is being provided through the Universal Basic Education Commission, which will also monitor the schools on a continuous basis to ensure compliance with minimum academic standards for basic education.”
The construction of the model schools is a collaborative arrangement between the Federal Government and the states.
While the Federal Government is to build, furnish the schools, provide curriculum, ensure quality control and provide textbooks, the states on the other hand will provide land, recruit teachers, set up the school’s board, oversee the day-to-day running of the schools and renovate them.
Present at the historic event in Sokoto today were the Governors of Zamfara, Kebbi, and Sokoto States.
Also present were the Sultan of Sokoto, former President Shehu Shagari, the Emir of Gwandu and the Etsu Nupe.
Others were the Secretary General, Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs, Dr Lateef Adegbite; and the Chairman, Senate Committee on Education, Senator Uche Chukwumerije.