The Federal Government has announced its intention to retake control of the Almajiri schools built during former President Goodluck Jonathan’s administration, which have been abandoned by subsequent administrations. Dr. Idris Sani, Executive Secretary of the National Commission for Almajiri and Out-of-School Children, revealed the government’s plan during the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding with the Civil Society Action Coalition on Education for All in Yola on Wednesday.
Dr. Sani explained that arrangements were being made to rehabilitate and reactivate the 157 Almajiri schools across the northern states to address the challenges of Almajiri and out-of-school children. He directed his Chief of Staff to finalize the arrangements for the takeover of these schools, which were left inactive after their establishment, and requested support from the Federal Government to restore them for academic use.
The commission is also collaborating with the National Board for Arabic and Islamic Studies to deploy teaching staff once the schools are rehabilitated. Dr. Sani emphasized the need for a united approach to address the Almajiri and out-of-school children crisis and reiterated the commission’s commitment to ensuring that the schools fulfill their original purpose of providing education to marginalized children in the northern region.
