No Ban On Almajiri Education System Yet – Presidency Assures
BY VICTOR BUORO, ABUJA – The Presidency has decried controversies generated by media report that the Federal Government had concluded plans to ban the Almajiri system of education in the country.
It therefore frowned at reports making the rounds that the government is planning a massive arrest of parents who denied their children basic education, saying that such reports were definitely ill-judged and uninformed.
The Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Malam Garba Shehu, said the prescription of the Almajiri system had remained an objective of the Buhari administration.
He however said; “The Presidency, therefore, calls for caution in responses to the pronouncements by President Muhammadu Buhari on free and compulsory basic education for every child of primary and junior secondary school age in Nigeria, during his speech on Thursday, June 20, at the inauguration of the National Economic Council (NEC).
“The Presidency notes that while the Buhari administration is committed to free and compulsory education as a long-term objective of bringing to an end, the phenomenon of out-of-school children, any necessary ban on Almajiri would follow due process and consultation with relevant authorities.”
According to the statement by Malam Shehu, “Indeed, the Federal government wants a situation where every child of primary school age is in school rather than begging on the streets during school hours.”
“At the same time, we don’t want to create panic or a backlash. Things have to be done the right and considerate way”, he said
The Presidential spokesperson said; “Free and compulsory primary school education is a requirement of the Nigerian constitution and any individual or group not in compliance with this is violating the law of the land and liable to be punished.”
Referring to President Buhari’s inaugural speech of the NEC on Thursday, Garba said it only stated the obvious that Nigerian children have rights and must therefore be given their due rights and protection under the law.
Malam Shehu also said going by the views aired by many, the Almajiri phenomenon represents a security challenge and a scar on the face of Northern Nigeria.
He quoted the President as saying in the speech thus: “On education, I want to stress in particular the need to take very seriously and enforce very rigorously the statutory provisions on free and compulsory basic education.
”Section 18(3) of the 1999 Constitution as amended places on all of us here an obligation to eradicate illiteracy and provide free and compulsory education.
“Section 2 of the Compulsory, Free Universal Basic Education Act provides that every Government in Nigeria shall provide free, compulsory and universal basic education for every child of primary and junior secondary school age.
‘‘It is indeed a crime for any parent to keep his child out of school for this period. In my view, when a government fails to provide the schools, teachers and teaching materials necessary for basic education, it is actually aiding and abetting that crime.
“This is, therefore, a call to action. I would like to see every Governor rise from this meeting and rally his local Government Chairmen towards ensuring that our schools offer the right opportunities and provide the needed materials and teachers for basic education, at the minimum. If we are able to do this, the benefits will surely manifest themselves.”
The media aide therefore, noted that the President’s statement “is well within the law of Nigeria”, adding; “in addition to relevant consultations, State governors need to put in place structures like schools and educational materials for pupils; otherwise, they also, are complicit in violating the law of the land”
The Almajiri system of education is a form of Qur’anic learning system associated with begging on economic and religious grounds peculiar to some of Nigeria’s 19 northern states. – With NAN reports
