Education
Will the COVID-19 Pandemic Help Reform West Africa’s Koranic Schools?
By Katrin Gänsler
The coronavirus pandemic has relaunched a debate on the treatment of children in Koranic schools in West Africa. The pandemic has made them more vulnerable. But very little has been done so far to support them.
Little boys in tattered clothes, holding a plastic bowl and begging for money or food are a ubiquitous sight throughout West Africa.
Usually, they wander around in small groups, reciting from the Koran. They are often seen at crossroads and bus stations, or trying their luck in large crowds, much to the displeasure of many passers-by. They chase the children away instead of helping them.In 2014, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) estimated their number of these children, known locally as Almajirai, at around 9.5 million in Nigeria alone. In French-speaking countries, the children are known as Talibes. According to the NGO Human Rights Watch, there are more than 100,000 Talibes in Senegal.
But regardless of where they come from, these children essentially take part in the same system of Islamic education. Most are sent by their parents from rural regions to larger villages and cities. Many of them are still primary school age.
This practice has existed for 300 years and is neither new nor strange, says Sheik Nuruddeen Lemu from the Da’wah Institute for Islamic Studies in Nigeria. “Almajiri is the Hausa word for [Al] Muhajir, which in Arabic means migrant,” he told DW.
Unwanted children
The imams are responsible for the religious education of the children. They also teach tax and marriage law, among other things. In Nigeria, the Almajiri tradition is particularly common among the Hausa and Fulani ethnic groups and is considered more of a cultural than a religious phenomenon.
But many of the children who are forced by the imams to beg for survival live in dire conditions. Their accommodation is poor and the children are often punished with beatings. There are no sanitary facilities and they have no access to safe havens.
The coronavirus pandemic is therefore particularly dangerous for these young children. Poor living conditions increase their chances of infection. Many people also believe that they are helping to spread the virus, despite there being no evidence of this whatsoever.
Nevertheless, some governors in Nigeria have started to send the boys home – often against their will, in the middle of the night and sometimes through the use of violence. The State of Kaduna and its governor, Nasir El-Rufai, have even gone one step further. They submitted a law to parliament banning the practice of Almajirai.
“We want to dismantle the system so that children can remain with their parents,” said El-Rufai, “They should receive a modern education in the morning and Koran lessons in the afternoon.”
An old controversy
The proposed legislation has triggered a new round of the old controversy over the traditional practice. Critics view the El-Rufai initiative as a precipitate to an even worse situation for the children.
“I don’t think it will necessarily help bring the children back to their home villages,” Hannah Hoechner, a lecturer at the University of East Anglia who has done research on Koranic schools, told DW. “There were reasons why they left those places. The families have difficulty feeding all their children.” Hoechner believes that instead of sending away the children, measures should be taken to strengthen the rural economy.
Others think a fundamental reform of the system is required. “It offers religious learning, which is considered very useful,” Peter Hawkins, UNICEF’s representative in Nigeria told DW. But he also acknowledges a lack of transparency and binding standards.
“We don’t know what knowledge is being imparted to the children and how they are developing,” he says. “But we do know that children and young people coming out of this system face difficulties on the labor market. They find it difficult to adapt.”
The Malian example
Countries like Mali have been creating Franco-Arab schools, which could serve as a model. NGOs spent years campaigning for these institutions and managed to gradually convince the imams of the benefits. Children are still taught the Koran, but also mathematics and French. A growing number of girls are also attending these schools. Nigeria has a similar system called Islamiyya.
But, Hoechner isn’t completely convinced: “Schools can’t solve all the problems,” she emphasizes. In both cases, parents have to pay fees, as well as for uniforms and learning materials.
Koranic schools also have another advantage over traditional schooling for these children: “They adapt to the cultural work cycles,” explains Hoechner. “Students have holidays when they have to help their parents in the fields. Afterwards, they can easily come back, which is not the case with Islamiyya and Franco Arabes schools.”
Society must assume responsibility
Mohammed Sabo Keana, the founder of the Almajiri Child Rights Initiative, demands a reorganization of the whole system. His initiative, which supports the Almajirai in northern Nigeria, believes that Koranic schools should no longer be the responsibility of individual imams, but be supported by the village communities instead.
The activist demands equal involvement by the state, parents and society at large, saying they should also be in charge of finding a way to finance the schools. No one should be able to skirt responsibility for the children so easily. “But what we need above all are set rules,” says Sabo Keana. As of yet, there are none.
The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has warned universities against issuing admission letters to candidates, insisting that only admissions processed through its Central Admissions Processing System (CAPS) are legally recognised.
The Board said universities had no statutory authority to issue official admission letters, warning that candidates who accept admission offers outside the approved system risk obtaining documents that may not be recognised for official purposes, including mobilisation for the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC).
JAMB Registrar, Prof. Segun Aina, gave the warning when he received a delegation from Veritas University, Bwari, Abuja, during a courtesy visit to his office.
Aina said the Federal Ministry of Education had expressly directed that all admissions into tertiary institutions be processed through CAPS, stressing that any admission conducted outside the platform was illegal and invalid.
He explained that JAMB remained the only body statutorily empowered to issue official admission letters to candidates seeking entry into universities, polytechnics and colleges of education across the country.
The registrar expressed concern that candidates often assume admission letters purportedly issued by universities are authentic simply because they carry the institutions’ identities.
He urged universities engaging in the practice to desist, while directing them to ensure that candidates obtain the appropriate admission documents from JAMB.
Aina further stressed that institutions could not substitute their own admission letters for the official documents issued by the Board after candidates had accepted their offers on CAPS.
He warned that admissions not processed through the approved platform would not be recognised for purposes such as NYSC mobilisation, underscoring the need for institutions and candidates to comply with established admission procedures.
Education
Makurdi Old Boys Association Inaugurates BOT October 17, Launches N1bn Secretariat Project Fund
Government College Makurdi Old Boys Association (MOBA) has completed arrangements to inaugurate its Board of Trustees (BOT) October 17, at the school premises.
The high profile event will also witness the launch of N1billion Appeal Fund for the construction of its National Secretariat Project.
A statement by the Association’s National President, Dr Cletus Akwaya and the Central Planning Committee Chairman Cmrd.
Stephen Tadawus, reminded all members of the National Executive Committee (NEC), Board of Trustees Members-designate, invited Guests, and the entire MOBA family to attend the event punctually at Government College Assembly Hall, Makurdi beginning by 10:00AMThe statement said the Governors of Benue state, Rev.
Fr. Dr. Hyacinth Iormem Alia; Plateau state, Barr. Caleb Manasseh Mutwang; Nasarawa, Engr. A. A. Sule and Bauchi, Sen. Bala Abdulkadir Mohammed are expected to grace the occasion as distinguished guests of Honour.Similarly, the Commissioner for Education and Knowledge Management, Benue State, Dr. Adamu Margaret Ijaguwa and Executive Secretary, Teaching Service Board, Benue State, Dr. Bem Tseen have been invited as Special Guests, the statement said.
It named members of the Board of Trustees (BOT) to include Prince Yandev Amaabai, Senator Joshua Chibi Dariye, Senator Gabriel Torwua Suswam, Hon Hassan El Yakub SAN- Hon, Alhaji Abubakar Giza, Prof. Terna Yawe, Chief Rebo Usman, Dr. Dader Mazadu Bako, Engr. Ali Rabiu, Prof. John Wade, Arc. Terseer Dankaro and Titus Ihunduas Secretary of the Board.
This event marks a new chapter in the life of the Association. We request all Old Boys to massively turn out and support the cause of giving back to their Almamater,” the statement further said adding, All concerned are therefore, requested to come together to make this historic event a success and to contribute generously towards the completion of Makurdi Old Boy’s Associations’ National Secretariat Project.”
Maryam Umar, a limb difference student, is set to graduate with a Bachelor of Science degree in Economics from the Gombe State University.
Umar, who successfully completed her Level 400 course work, examinations and project, achieved this feat after overcoming educational and financial challenges.
In an interview on Monday in Gombe, Umar said that the intervention by the Academic Staff Union of the University (ASUU) made her journey to attain university education a reality.
Umar recounted that she started primary education at the age of 11 at Hammadaji Primary School in Gombe metropolis, adding that she could not immediately proceed to secondary school due to challenges.
The foot-writer student later attended Government Day Secondary School, Nasarawo, Gombe, where she obtained a senior school certificate.
“Many people doubted my ability to attend university because of physical and financial challenges.
“Nevertheless; I sat for the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), and National Examinations Council (NECO) examinations, and passed both, but could not proceed due to lack of sponsorship.
“Apparently, my predicament widely circulated in the national dailies attracted the attention of the ASUU,” she said.
She said that the union visited her family home, verified her educational credentials, and subsequently offered her scholarship.
Umar said that handwriting proved to be a major obstacle because she writes with her toes during lectures, tests and examinations.
“During my first test, I couldn’t finish within the allocated time and reported the matter to the union.
“The ASUU chairman subsequently wrote to my Head of Department, requesting an additional time for me during tests and examinations. The department granted the request and continued to support me throughout my studies,” she said.
Umar also commended her lecturers for their support and understanding.
She recalled that when a journalist visited the university, and inquired about her academic performances, the records rated her as being more punctual than most of the able-bodied students.
Umar also expressed joy over the successful completion of her degree programme without any academic failure.
“I am happy that I am about to graduate. I give God the glory because I have had no problem academically.
“Some students who I started schooling together had withdrawn or dropped out,” she said.
While urging people living with disabilities not to allow their conditions to distract them from pursuing their dreams, Umar enjoined them to shun street begging.
“You should not see begging as the only option. I once begged on the street, but now I am about to achieve my dream of becoming a graduate.” (NAN)
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