From Ahmad Muhammad, Bauchi
The Sheikh Dahiru Usman Bauchi Foundation has called on the National Almajiri Commission to include genuine known Almajiri critical stakeholders in all its programmes and its implementation.
This was contained in a statement signed by the Director Media and Publicity of the Foundation, Mallam Ahmad Muhammad, which was made available to reporters in Bauchi.
It stated that “the long-term success of ongoing national efforts surrounding Almajiri and Out-of-School Children education in Nigeria will depend not only on policy formulation, but also on the extent to which such efforts are connected to trusted community-rooted structures already operating within the affected ecosystem.”
The statement expressed worry over non inclusion of real critical stakeholders in the programmes and activities of the commission ,instead the commission many times carry people that has little or those that has no connection what so ever with the Almajiri system of education.
It explained that the statement titled: “Sustainable Almajiri Reforms Require Community Rooted Implementation Structures was written not to apportion blame but to draw the attention of the commission officials to do their activities in order to succeed .”
The Foundation noted that the Almajiri and out-of-school children challenge remains a deeply social and community-based issue that extends beyond administrative frameworks alone, and explained that it’s implementation, continuity, acceptance, and sustainability can only be effectively achieved with institutions with established grassroots legitimacy and direct operational experience are meaningfully carried along.
The Foundation also explained that while recent national engagements on Almajiri and Out-of-School Children reforms have continued to bring together various political, administrative, developmental, and community actors, there remains a growing need for stronger institutional inclusion of longstanding grassroots educational structures and community-rooted stakeholders directly operating within the Almajiri and Tsangaya ecosystem itself.
“ Sustainable reform efforts may face implementation limitations where strategic frameworks are developed without sufficient engagement with institutions that possess longstanding operational presence, established community trust, and direct practical experience within the affected communities — a gap the Foundation believes must be meaningfully addressed within the broader national conversation surrounding Almajiri and Out-of-School Children reforms in Nigeria,” it added.
The statement explained that decades of engagement within the Tsangaya, Almajiri, and broader out-of-school children ecosystem across Northern Nigeria have consistently shown that reforms disconnected from existing community realities often struggle with long-term acceptance and implementation at the grassroots level.
The Foundation further stated that institutions already embedded within the ecosystem possess not only operational structures, but also community confidence, parental trust, and practical implementation experience developed over several decades of direct engagement.
It said:”With an extensive network of over 800 Tsangaya institutions and affiliated schools currently serving more than 300,000 students across the country.
“Practical and community-rooted educational models remain critical to addressing both the Almajiri phenomenon and the wider out-of-school children challenge in a sustainable manner.”
He said the importance of integrated educational approaches capable of combining Qur’anic education, formal learning, moral development, and social stability within the same framework, noting that such models continue to provide socially accepted alternatives within affected communities.
“These concerns and observations were formally conveyed by the Chairman of the Foundation, Khalifa Sayyadi Ibrahim Sheikh Dahiru Usman Bauchi, in a letter he sent to the National Commission for Almajiri and Out-of-School Children Education (NCAOOSCE), which was copied to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the National Security Adviser,where the Foundation reiterated its support for the Commission’s ongoing efforts and stressed needs and the importance of deeper institutional engagement with longstanding community-based educational structures,” it stated.
