By Uche Mbah
Kano state Governor, Umar Ganduje, has placed a ban on the beggars, generally called the Almajiris, who parade the streets of Kano begging for sustenance. They are alleged to be members of different Koranic schools who, apart from being students, are also meant to fend for themselves.
The Emir of Kano, Mohammed Sanusi II, has also in recent times criticized the Amajiri system for economic reasons. Both leaders, who have been having their differences, appear to agree on this issue.
In a release by the governor’s spokesperson, Abba Anwar, Ganduje said the decision was taken to boost government efforts to provide basic education to the children of the state.
Though it is not clear what steps the Almajiri teachers will take in this erosion of their collective authority, ganduje warned that any teacher that does not accept the situation should leave the state.
“If almijiri teacher thinks he cannot accept the new policy he has to leave the state,” he said.
“When Almajiri are caught begging, it is not only that beggar (that) is caught, but his parents or guardians. Such parents or guardians would be taken to court to face the wrath of the law,” Ganduje said.
The Almajiris are trained only in the Koranic Knowledge, but according to Ganduje, this will have to stop. He announced that English and mathematics must be thought in schools in addition to Koranic studies in order for them to cope with the secondary system.
“This policy of free and compulsory basic and secondary education goes along with its integration of our Almajiri system into the mainstream policy implementation. This suggests that English and Arithmetic must be included in the Almajiri schools curriculum. That will give them an opportunity to continue with their studies to secondary schools and beyond,” he said.
7,500 teachers have already been recruited by the governor for the teaching job.
Recall that former President Goodluck Jonathan built Almajiri schools in the North, which are deliberately allowed to rot after he left office. In fact, a governor of the north claimed that it was the Almajiris that voted him out because he built schools for them.
