From the bustling streets of Kano to the busy junctions of Kaduna, the sight is familiar. At roadside restaurants, motor parks, markets and traffic intersections, young boys often wait quietly outside food stalls, hoping for a leftover meal or a small act of kindness from strangers. Some politely ask for alms. Others simply watch and wait.
They are children growing up in circumstances they did not choose. They did not decide where they would be born, the poverty they would inherit, or the system that would shape their childhood. Yet, for many Nigerians, they have become an ordinary part of the urban landscape, seen every day, but rarely truly noticed.
Behind every outstretched hand is a child with dreams, abilities and potential waiting to be nurtured. Their story is not merely about poverty or begging; it is about an education system that has drifted from its original purpose, a society struggling with deep economic realities, and a nation that cannot afford to lose another generation to neglect.
Contrary to popular belief, the original Almajiri system was never designed around street begging. Historically, communities, parents, and traditional institutions supported Qur’anic schools. However, colonial disruptions, urbanisation, economic hardship, and declining public investment gradually weakened that support structure, leaving many pupils to survive through begging. Researchers and government policy documents agree that the present condition is a distortion of the original system rather than its intended model.
Recognising this challenge, the administration of former President Goodluck Jonathan launched the Integrated Almajiri Education Programme between 2012 and 2015. More than 100 model Almajiri schools were constructed across northern Nigeria, with Sokoto serving as one of the flagship locations. The initiative sought to combine Qur’anic education with English, Mathematics, Science, Information Technology, and vocational training under one curriculum. The objective was simple: preserve Islamic education while equipping children with modern knowledge and employable skills. UNESCO reports from 2012 estimated that nearly 10 million Nigerian children of school age were not in formal education, with Almajirai forming a significant proportion. Jonathan’s intervention was therefore both timely and strategic.
Unfortunately, many of these schools gradually became abandoned or underutilised after changes in government. Several suffered from poor maintenance, inadequate staffing, and weak coordination between federal and state authorities. Although the succeeding administration of former President Muhammadu Buhari expressed support for integrating Almajiri education into the Universal Basic Education framework, implementation remained uneven across states, and many facilities failed to realise their intended purpose.
A 2019 study by the Nigerian Educational Research and Development Council confirmed that without continuity, the programme risked collapse. In May 2023, former President Buhari attempted to strengthen institutional support by appointing Hon. Sha’aban Sharada, then outgoing House of Representatives member for Kano Municipal, as the pioneer Executive Secretary of the newly established National Commission for Almajiri and Out-of-School Children Education. Operating from Abuja, the Commission was mandated to establish a multimodal system of education that tackles illiteracy, provides skill acquisition, and prevents destitution and youth delinquency. This was a significant step toward institutionalising reform.
However, in March 2024, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu reshuffled and reconstituted the leadership of the Commission, appointing Brigadier-General Lawal Ja’afar Isa (rtd) as Board Chairman and Dr. Idris Muhammad Sani as Executive Secretary/CEO. These changes underscored the importance of continuity and political will in sustaining reforms across administrations.
Aliyu Umar, [email protected]