THE Federal Government's intervention in building special schools for street urchins in the North, thereby lifting their formal education through the multi-billion naira project should come as no surprise; it is long overdue, considering the socio-economic threat the thoroughly-deprived children have become, over the decades, to the society. The initiative heralds a new day and a brighter future, probably, for an estimated 10 million unfortunate children currently steeled in the prevalent almajiri culture across the northern parts of the country.But lofty as the government initiative may be, the policy must only be interventionist. The northern state governments, and parents, ultimately have responsibility, and in their own interest, to fashion serious education plans for their children, to match the aspiration in other sections of the country.Therefore, the Memorandum of Understanding between the Federal Government and the participating states is to be appreciated, to the effect that the Federal Government will provide funds for the construction and equipment, design curriculum and develop text books as well as support teachers' capacity building; while the affected states are expected to replicate the schools and take up full management after the commissioning.The government's claim that an affirmative action to mitigate the menace of the almajiri culture is required is understandable. Of the 9.5 million of them currently in the North, about 50 per cent are domiciled in the north-west geo-political zone, most of them out of conventional school system. Against the backdrop of insecurity and potential for social dislocation inherent in the almajiri system, President Goodluck Jonathan's personal commitment to inaugurate the first of the N5 billion comprehensive project, the Almajiri Boarding Primary School in Gagi village in Sokoto local council, is instructive (he can take credit as the first Nigerian leader to accord almajiri issue a deserved seriousness). The infrastructural development involves 35 model schools located in 18 of the 19 northern states according to the Executive Secretary of Tertiary Education Trust Fund, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu. The 10 boarding and 25 day schools built by the Fund exclude 51 others under construction by the National Universal Education Basic Commission. All the schools, including the one in Auchi, Edo State, will be equipped with state-of-the-art libraries, laboratories, ICT centres and vocational/technical education workshops.The almajiri is a clan of abandoned, half-clad and malnourished children forced to roam the streets, armed with bowls and begging for alms and food as sanctioned by the mullahs who have been freely entrusted with the care of scores of children while dispensing koranic education to them. Under the mullahs, children's welfare ' supposedly abdicated by uncaring or helpless parents ' is almost non-existent, as the teachers have no visible means to feed the children. Parents should share in the blame for the children's waywardness.Worse still, the orientation process of the children provides a platform for their vulnerability and radicalism in the society. Critics have argued, rightly or wrongly, that many graduates of this unedifying informal education have become real targets for recruitment by misguided elements who promote insecurity in the country at present.One danger is apparent: the people have lived with the culture for so long. What is the guarantee that they will buy the thoughts of government for their children's sake' Not only that, will the mullahs continue to exert any influence over the children, and to what degree' The scheme can still accommodate the traditional local teachers to impart koranic knowledge. But they must be made to accept a more structured approach to education for the children.The proposed model schools are designed to integrate traditional Islamic education into conventional system. The model will be replicated across the country later to satisfy local needs. As a plausible avenue for proper training of the affected children, parents, state governments and other stakeholders should take advantage of the scheme. In contemporary world of science and technology, a country cannot afford again to habour the almajiri system; besides, keeping an almajiri in the conventional school system for a period automatically shuts him out from the streets, and from mischief, for a while.The involvement of personalities like the Sultan of Sokoto is commendable as it gives the scheme a stamp of authority. If this experiment succeeds, it may be an attraction to many parents and guardians who themselves need to be massively educated on the need for family planning. The country can certainly take a cue from developed countries on controlled populations, and subsequently enhanced welfare for the people.Not a few critics have expressed reservations that the almajiri initiative promotes bias and segregation against children from other parts of the country whose parents are also in the poverty bracket but still manage against all odds to send their wards to school to underline the value placed on education. Government can address their fears and sentiments that it is all in the interest of the nation, and that a growing almajiri population is dangerous to national development.Education being intrinsic to national development, governments at all levels must key into the vision of developing the capacity of young ones. The government must not allow this scheme to become another avenue for wastage and treasury looting.
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