Following the figure of out of school children in Oyo state, the Federal Government is set to restart the Almajiri education in eight of states in the North and only Oyo State in the South.
The states in the North where the pilot test will be carried out are Kano, Katsina, Sokoto, Niger, Adamawa, Bauchi, Yobe and Jigawa.
Recall the insideoyo.com had earlier reported that Oyo state has the highest number of out of school children in South West.
The pilot test, which is expected to last two years, enjoys the support of some international organisations.
A document obtained by The Nation gave insights into teething problems associated with the Almajiri programme since 2014.
The document reads: “The new scheme came out of consultations with relevant stakeholders, including State Universal Basic Education Boards (SUBEBs). The earlier school project was abandoned by state governors, except Jigawa, Sokoto and Kaduna. In Zamfara and Katsina, the Almajiri schools were allocated to the military to build command schools.
“The administration of ex-Governor Murtala Nyako did not even inaugurate one Almajiri school during his tenure in Adamawa.
“When some states accessed their funds, they diverted same. For instance, Zamfara SUBEB chairman has been jailed. The last administration in Kwara State was accused of diverting matching grants.
“During the first tenure of President Muhammadu Buhari, most governors abandoned the Almajiri programme for “other priority projects”.
“The programme cannot succeed without the support of governors. They are to deploy Western Education teachers, possibly feed the children and the Universal Basic Education Commission will train the teachers, provide instructional materials and other necessary things. UBEC built structures which have been largely abandoned.”
The Nation further reports that the government opted for a new model because state governments declined to buy into the Almajiri education programme initiated by the late President Umar Yar’Adua and sustained by the Goodluck Jonathan presidency.
During President Jonathan’s tenure, the Almajiri committee headed by ex-Vice President Namadi Sambo provided infrastructure nationwide, many states failed to participate, claiming they could not afford the boarding school format.
