Senior lecturer in the department of Information Technology, Bayero University Kano, Dr. Bashir Shehu Galadanci, has described scavenging in refuse dumps by almajiri across the country as a great shame to the nation, adding that the almajiri were despised and hated as a result of absence of coherent policy by the government to incorporate them in the conventional education system.
Delivering a lead paper at the opening of a 2-day education summit on Free and Compulsory Basic Primary and Secondary Education held at the Coronation Hall, Kano Government House, recently, Galadanci said the issue of funding Tsangaya and Almajiri system of education was also crippled by lack of fund and recognition which was supposed to be encapsulated in the nation’s curriculum.
He said the concept of Tsangaya and almajiri education system had been popularly embraced and accorded high priority by many nations the world over as part of the education curriculum of such nations. This concept had made everyone to appreciate the fact that students of the system had earned prestige, honour and credibility.
Citing the example of Bangaladesh to buttress his point, the university lecturer however stated that in countries like Egypt, Sudan and Saudi-Arabia, the Tsangaya and Almajiri educational system was designed to shield the Almajiri from scavenging in refuse dumps to survive. He stressed that no single person could be sighted roaming the streets in the name of street begging.
He however, stated that it was a burden on the shoulders of respective governors, most especially in the northern part of the country, to rise to the challenge of accommodating the Tsangaya and Almajiri education system in the nation’s curriculum. He said that recognising the system is the way out.
