Katsina, UNICEF collaborate to modernise Tsangaya education system

The Katsina State Government, has partnered the United Nations Children Funds (UNICEF), to integrate core-subjects into the Tsangaya education system in the state.

Mr Muntaka Mukhtar, an Education Specialist with UNICEF Kano Field Office, disclosed this in Katsina  at a workshop organised for Tsangaya school proprietors.

The workshop was organised through the state’s Agency for Mass Education, with support from UNICEF.

According to Mukhtar, the aim was to ensure that all the children are in school.

He said, “At UNICEF, we always promote that education is a right of the child and should be given that right.

“And we’re aware that Katsina is facing a lot of security challenges which are likely going to hinder many children from going to school.

“So, we’re trying to see how we ensure that some of these tsangaya school operators who are running the Qur’anic schools, allow their children to have quality basic education within their own environment.”

The education specialist expressed the belief that wherever children were, they can learn, and they can benefit from whatever they learn in future.

He explained that the exercise was aimed at interacting with the Tsangaya school operators to see that they permit all these children to continue to also acquire the western education.

Mukhtar said, “What we’re trying now is to see that at least these children are not denied their right to education, and they are supported to maximise their own potential as much as they can.

“We had a similar exercise last year, we had another number more than this. This time is only 100 based on what we can think.

“But, we are not only picking numbers, we’re looking at those that have a large number of children under them, and are also willing to allow them to assess quality basic education.”

He further expressed hope that the government would sustain this kind of engagement as their own responsibility.

According to him, at the end of the exercise, the participants are expected to come up with an action plan on how they are going to position their centres to integrate core subjects, especially English language, mathematics, among others.

Also, one of the facilitators at the workshop, Prof. Umar Alqali, from the Faculty of Law, University of Maiduguri, said Katsina had more than 8,000 tsangaya schools, with no fewer than 500,000 children.

He highlighted the importance of the exercise, especially considering the above mentioned number of the Tsangaya schools and the children across the state.