The Federal and the 19 Northern State Governments have been urged to commit 5 per cent of their education budget, to help in totally eradicating the almajiri system of education and street begging, in the affected regions.
An educationist and Public Affairs Analyst who was a guest at the 2021 Global Day of Action on the Almajiri Child Rights, Dr. Muttaqha Darma said this while speaking on the sidelines of the commemoration of the day, organized by the state chapter of the Almajiri Child Rights Initiative, ACRI.
A report by the committee set up by the Katsina State government on data collation on the number of Almajirai children in the state, but the figure at about 174,000.
Of this figure, the majority are indigenes, while about 5,094 are non-indigenes and non-Nigerians, especially from Niger Republic who are about 2,000, putting a total of non-indigenes of the Almajirai in Katsina State to over 7,000.
As a result, the Almajiri Child Rights Initiative, ACRI, was established to look into how best these children can be catered for, hence, the annual Global Day Of Action, with this year’s theme being, the Annual Global Day Of Action For The Way Forward On The Almajirai Situation.
An Educationist and public affairs analyst at the event, Dr. Muttaqha Darma said, the best way to reverse the ugly trend of the Almajirai roaming the streets, is for both the Federal and the 19 Northern State Governments to commit 5 per cent of their educational budget to the Almajiri system of education.
He also suggested ways to end street begging by providing the needs of the Almajirai and other corporate beggars in other parts of the country.
Also Read: Katsina Govt. to repatriate 7,893 Almajirai to states of origin
Katsina Governor Aminu Masari, represented by his Special Adviser on Employment Promotion And Chairman Committee On Data Collation On Almajirai, Hussaini Adamu, said a committee has been set up by the state government, having all the reputable clerics, to reintegrate the Almajirai children into the mainstream of formal and Islamic studies.
Part of the plans, according to Masari, is that the government has to reset the Islamic education board, which was in comatose, by overhauling it, as well as setting up a technical committee to work out modalities, to ensure that the issue of Almajiri in the state is a thing of the past.
Earlier, the team leader of the state chapter of Almajiri Child Rights Initiative, ACRI, Barrister Baraka Suleiman said, the essence of the day is to drum into the ears of the relevant players in the society, on the need to support and cater for the Almajirai, roaming the streets in the country.
The participants hoped that, with the level of commitment shown so far by the present administration in the state, the Almajirai will be given due attention, so as not to be used as time bombs, in the hands of insurgents and bandits, waiting to explode.
(Editor: Ena Agbanoma)
