Almajiri Education In Nigeria

The paper assesses the perception of the stakeholders on the integration of basic education into the curriculum of islamiyyah and ma'ahad schools in Nasarawa State. The research design used for this study was a survey research design, which involves the collection of data from random sample of the target population. The population of the study is made up of all Almajiris, their teachers and parents in Five (5) wards of Akwanga Local Government Area of Nasarawa State. The instrument used in conducting this study was an interview questions designed by the researcher, which has a definite set of questions and predetermined order of asking. The data for the study which were derived from the responses of the Almajiris, the teachers and parents to the interview items were analyzed, using simple percentages and mean scores. The hypotheses were tested by Kruskal-Wallis (H) statistics at 0.05 level of significance. The paper found that the major problems that may affect the integration of Almajiri system into formal education are lack of appropriate curriculum and lack of comprehensive integrated school structure that would address the need to merge the two systems into holistic integrated system. The paper recommended that food supply to the integrated school should be adequate, regular and the school environments should be made more convenient and conducive for learning. There is a need for training and retraining of the Almajiri teachers to enhance their performance and to able to suit in the demands of the models of integrating Almajiris system into the formal system of education.

In the almajiri system of education, male children are sent to far away places to acquire Islamic education at the tender ages of between four and nine years. This system of Islamic education has been in existence since the inception of Islam in Northern Nigeria in the 11th century AD. In the past, the system was successful because the host communities catered for all the needs of the almajirai and their Mallams. But today, the almajirai are left to their own devices to cater for themselves. This study was undertaken to find out factors which perpetuate the almajiri system of education in Zaria and environs in spite of the availability of Islamiyya primary schools which provide both modern and Islamic religious education. Zaria was divided into three clusters, namely: Zaria City, settlements within the city wall; settlements outside the city wall and villages. A total of 167 almajirai were selected for interview from four schools representing the three clusters. Of this, 164 almajirai provided adequate information for processing. All the 23 Mallams in the four schools were interviewed. Information about parents of the almajirai was collected (by proxy) through the pupils. However, 58 other fathers, 25 of whom had sent children to almajiri schools and 33 who had not, were purposively selected within the study area and interviewed. Indepth interview was also conducted with the Education Secretary of Zaria Local Government Authority on government policy and its involvement in the almajiri system of education. The Marxist framework was employed in this study. This is because to be able to identify the factors which perpetuate the almajiri system of education in Nigeria, the socio-economic, political and cultural structures of the people had to be looked into. Descriptive analysis such as simple percentages and comparisons were employed in data presentation. Chi-square analysis was used to determine levels of association and significance. The findings of the study revealed that several actors contribute to the perpetuation of the almajiri system of education. These are: the parents, the almajirai, the Mallams, the host communities and the government. It was found that muslim parents who had obtained only Quranic education themselves or had not been to any westerntype school cherished the almajiri system of education for their children. It was also found that family composition, such as polygyny, the extended family system and having more male children in a family, were strong determinants of sending children to almajiri schools. Generally, it was found that most of the parents of the almajirai belonged to the poor peasantry and other low-income earning strata. The fact that most of the almajirai were young, 91.9% being 14 years or younger, was strong evidence that they were sent to such schools before they reached the age of reasoning. The study revealed that they had been indoctrinated to accept the almajiri system of education. The Mallams were found to benefit from the size of the almajirai studying under them because a Mallam’s prestige was determined by how large his school is, because school size increased the likelihood of a Mallam being invited to perform spiritual services like naming ceremonies, burial, counseling and prayers for success in endeavors, all of which carried along with them, token gifts from patrons in the community. The Mallams also derived direct economic benefits from the almajirai through the taking of a part of what the latter obtained from begging and the performance of menial jobs. The host communities also enjoy the services of almajirai because they provided cheap and often free labour. It was also discovered that the government acquiesced in the almajiri system of education by not making much effort to reform, regulate or incorporate the system into the main stream educational system. All these helped to perpetuate the system. It is recommended that reforming the almajiri system of religious education should be a joint responsibility for all the stakeholders in the system, namely, the government, parents, mallams, muslim communities and other sympathizers. Strategies to be adopted should include financial assistance, introduction of vocational skills acquisition programmes and payment of salaries to the Mallams.

Child labour refers to engagement of a child  below 18years in work that is harmful to his well-being and prevents him from going to school. over 15 million children in the world are against in child labour. In Nigeria there are  6.5 million  child labourers.

A person who leaves his house primarily to seek for knowledge is called Al-Muhajir meaning the migrant. This Arabic word was borrowed by Hausas and mispronounced as Almajiri. Just like Sakkwato and Brasil are wrongly pronounced as Sokoto and Brazil respectively by the English. Therefore, Al-Muhajir (hereafter referred to as "Almajiri") is a person who sacrifices the comfort of his home in order to seek Islamic knowledge. This system of education started in the seventh century during the lifetime of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) who was based in Medina. His companions who migrated lived in and around Medina. Whereas the majority of them engaged in commerce, agriculture, and other enterprises as a means of livelihood, a few devoted their lives to acquiring knowledge directly from the Prophet (peace be upon him). These people were known as Ahlul suffa. They virtually lived in the mosque. The Prophet's house is attached to the mosque. So, once he steps out of his house, Ahlul suffa were with him. They would see him do and hear him say many things in the absence of other companions. Therefore, it is not surprising that the companions who narrated the highest number of Hadith (sayings and actions of the Prophet) were among Ahlul suffa. Since they do not have any means of livelihood, he gave them food and encouraged others to do same. Any member of Ahlul suffa who gets married leaves the mosque, gets a job and stays in his home. After his death, a number of companions left Medina and settled at various towns in modern Turkey, Iraq, Syria, Palestine, Egypt, etc. This necessitated next generation of Muslims to travel from one town (or even one country) to another in order to meet and learn from the companions. The third generation travelled to learn from the second, the fourth generation

Despite the policy of a free and compulsory education, about 9 million school aged children in Nigeria are currently not served by this policy. This research is an attempt to make visible the experiences of school aged Muslim boys who are excluded from the mainstream school system. Drawing on qualitative field research and textual analysis, the study examined the ways in which they are excluded specifically looking at causal factors that structure their schooling/under-schooling. Research findings show that while this universal program of education has enabled access for some children, children from poor rural Muslim households are not able to enact their active citizenship through the rights to education. A limited focus of western-styled education, indirect costs and childhood construction amongst others were found in the study to have thrust these households into alternatives considered as ‘free’ for their children. The research findings therefore unveil the failure of the state to be responsive to the multiplicity of childhoods in the context where rural Muslim households desire both religious and western-styled education for their children. Ultimately, the study highlights the need for the state to provide meaningful education that takes account of the diversity of childhoods through broadening the present focus and content of western-styled education.

Over the last three and a half decades, HIV/AIDS pandemic has been one of the topical public health issues in Nigeria. The use of ICT, or online media in combatting the scourge in the country needs no further emphasis especially because Nigeria is the most populous nation in Africa and the second nation with the highest population of HIV infected people in the world. Adolescence, literacy, media awareness and other social issues have been identified as significant factors aiding the spread of the scourge. Despite the progresses made in research in this area, issues related to online media HIV/AIDS awareness among almajiri pupils, particularly in the NorthEast region where the population of almajiris is one of the highest in the country, has received little research attention. This paper proposes a conceptual framework designed on a mixed method approach for adoption in exploring the HIV/AIDS online media awareness based on the knowledge, attitude and practice (KAP) analysis. The paper is expected to provide a strong conceptual underpinning toward an empirical investigation of this problem, with the aim of assessing the relevance of ICT in combatting the scourge among one of the most vulnerable groups in the society.

The paper assesses the perception of the stakeholders on the establishment of a model almajiri schools in Nasarawa State. The research design used for this study was a survey research design, which involves the collection of data from random sample of the target population. The population of the study is made up of all Almajiris, their teachers and parents in Five (5) wards of Akwanga Local Government Area of Nasarawa State. The instrument used in conducting this study was an interview questions designed by the researcher, which has a definite set of questions and predetermined order of asking. The data for the study which were derived from the responses of the Almajiris, the teachers and parents to the interview items were analyzed, using simple percentages and mean scores. The hypotheses were tested by Kruskal-Wallis (H) statistics at 0.05 level of significance. Almajiris, their Parents and Teachers are in support of this model (integration of traditional Quranic schools within its original location as a means of integrating Almajiri education into formal education system) and the third model of integration of basic education into the curriculum of established Islamiyyah and Ma'ahad schools as a means of integrating Almajiri education into formal education system. The paper recommended that The Almajiris should be provided with opportunities to acquire sound knowledge by the Government and non-governmental organizations. This can be achieved by developing the two most acceptable models of integrating Almajiris system into the formal system of education. These models are integration of traditional Quranic schools within its original location as a means of integrating Almajiri education into formal education system and the integration of basic education into the curriculum of established Islamiyyah and Ma'ahad schools as a means of integrating Almajiri education into formal education system.

Almajiranci, Islamic-based system of education in Northern Nigeria involves boys as young as seven being sent off to study and memorise the Qur'an under the tutelage of a Malam. It is currently a topic of great debate in Nigerian society as researchers and the media have linked Almajiranci and Almajirai to everything from religious uprisings to Boko Haram and political unrests. Early indications from my phenomenological study of the products of Almajiranci have shown that the narratives employed above are contradictory to the narratives that the past Almajirai create and utilise for themselves. The critical and negative representations of Almajiranci are at odds with the ones they have of themselves. There is therefore a tension between the dominant narratives and the experiences of these young men, who see the value of Almajiranci and for whom the system has shaped their identities both as humans and as Muslims. This research aims to fill a gap by giving a voice to the people who are centrally involved in the construction, contestation and transformation of its meaning – the Almajirai themselves. The research holds a lot of relevance as it allows for engagement and collaboration across disciplines on the core issues of religion, education and identity. The misrepresentation of the Northern Nigerian Almajiri's identity and its broader political and social significance is at the heart of this research.