The Almajiri Education system, a traditional Islamic teaching approach in northern Nigeria, has long been a topic of debate both domestically and abroad. Experts, Human Rights activists, and the international community have all called for critical reform or ban of the system, as it has faced criticism over the years. As the number of young Almajiri children living on the streets keeps growing, the system is increasingly perceived as a mechanism that impedes the socioeconomic advancement of impacted areas, denies children their rights, and prolongs poverty.
Amidst the COVID-19 pandemic issue, many children in the system were sent back to their relatives and towns of origin as state governments in northern Nigeria suspended the system as part of efforts to stop the virus’s spread. However, the system was fully restored to its pre-pandemic state in several northern regions following the ease of the COVID-19 limitations. The movement for reform faltered, and the Almajiri children mostly went back to their conventional Islamic schools, despite some authorities’ initial promises to enforce the ban and improve the system.
An estimated 10 million children are enrolled in the system.
According to experts, the Almajiri system as it currently exists, no longer fulfills its primary function of fostering spiritual development and education. Rather, it has mostly turned into a system that exposes children to abuse, hardship, and exploitation. Due to a lack of resources and assistance, Almajiri children are frequently forced to beg on the streets by their teachers, known as Mallams. This has sparked grave worries about how the system will affect these children’s futures and general well-being as they are left without access to quality education, healthcare, or a stable home environment.
Socio-economic ramifications of this system is enormous, especially in northern Nigeria, where it is mostly common. With an estimated 10 million children enrolled in the system, issues like poverty, unemployment, and social instability have become inherent in the northern part of the country. The Almajiri system leads to high rates of Illiteracy by denying children access to formal education and employable skills, therefore limits their career opportunities as they grow up and keeps entire generations in a cycle of poverty. As a result, many of them become excluded in society and depend on low-wage, informal labor or engage in criminal activity to make ends meet.
Children are deprived of their rights by the system.
This further widens socioeconomic gaps and feeds societal unrest as many of these children grow up feeling excluded and disenfranchised. Experts also pointed out the numerous ways in which the system infringes against basic human rights. The system deprives children of their right to a safe and nurturing childhood, as stated in the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC), by allowing them to live on the streets without proper food, housing, or medical treatment. The Almajiri system as it now exists has been denounced by the international community including agencies like UNICEF.
UNICEF and other children-focused organizations contend that the system upholds circumstances that infringe upon children’s rights, and does not meet international criteria for child protection and education. In order to protect children’s rights and provide access to high-quality education, UNICEF has repeatedly urged the Nigerian government to act quickly to reform or replace the system with a more structured, inclusive educational framework. Advocates have always championed that every child should have the opportunity to learn in a secure, nurturing environment where their rights are upheld and their potential is developed.
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More than merely advocating for changes in education, the campaign to outlaw or fundamentally transform the Almajiri system is an attempt to protect Nigerian children’s fundamental human rights. In a larger sense, outlawing or changing the system would be a step in the right direction toward solving Nigeria’s intricate socioeconomic and Security problems. The question still stands as Nigeria is under pressure from both inside and outside its borders: Will the government move decisively to safeguard the future of its children, or will it permit the Almajiri system to persist as a symbol of an unmet promise to the country’s youth?