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Governor Umar Namadi has declared that ‘Almajiri’ children in Jigawa State can no longer be classified as “out-of-school,” stating that they now receive basic numeracy, literacy, and entrepreneurial training comparable to students in the conventional education sector.
Almajiri children are children often sent to study the quran during which they live with their teachers. However, many of them end up on the streets as beggers and also engage in petty crimes. It is a common practice in Jigawa and many states in northern Nigeria.
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Speaking on Monday during an interaction with Tsangaya (Almajiri) school teachers, Mr Namadi outlined his administration’s commitment to a structural overhaul of the traditional quranic education system.
“I want people to understand that an Almajiri is not an out-of-school child; an Almajiri is in school and is also a student,” the governor stated.
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“That is why we resolved to improve this system of education, and with your cooperation and support, we will, God willing, restore dignity to this form of learning,” he told the teachers at the event.
A new integrated model
The governor described the dialogue as a milestone, noting it was the first time the state’s top leadership—including the deputy governor and members of the State Assembly—had formally engaged with quranic teachers through the newly established Tsangaya Education Board.
Under this reform, Mr Namadi said the Tsangaya schools are being transformed into integrated institutions. The curriculum now blends three core pillars: quran memorisation, literacy and numeracy, and vocational skills – practical training to ensure economic self-sufficiency.
“Our goal is that once a learner completes primary-level education, they will obtain a certificate. Likewise, at every stage of Quranic education, God willing, one will receive a certificate upon completion,” Mr Namadi explained.
Scaling for Impact
The governor acknowledged that the scale of the task is immense. He said Jigawa currently hosts over 4,000 Tsangaya schools with more than 1.3 million pupils—a population that exceeds that of the state’s conventional primary school system.
To support this population, the governor announced that 100 quranic teachers have already been trained and certified in collaboration with the National Board for Arabic and Islamic Studies (NBAIS).
He added that the state plans to recruit 500 additional teachers specifically for Tsangaya schools in the 2026 budget and the permanent inclusion of Tsangaya education in the state’s annual budget to prevent the neglect of the 1.3 million students.
The “Begging-Free Zone” Initiative
Abubakar Hamisu, executive secretary of the Tsangaya Board, provided details about the “Almajiri Begging-Free Zone” programme. He said the initiative has already transitioned 2,000 children from the streets into government-owned Tsangaya schools in major hubs, including Dutse, Hadejia, and Gumel.
Jigawa has long grappled with one of the highest rates of out-of-school children in Nigeria. Traditionally, the “out-of-school” metric primarily tracked enrollment in formal Western-style education. Because the children enrolled in the traditional Almajiri (Tsangaya) system were not learning a formal secular curriculum and were often on the streets begging, they were statistically categorised as unschooled.
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Key Challenges
Recent data from organisations like UNICEF have frequently placed Jigawa among the states with the highest number of children technically outside the formal education system.
Without state support, many Tsangaya students (Almajiri) historically relied on street begging for sustenance, leading to social vulnerability and a lack of economic prospects.
Mr Namadi said his administration is attempting to bridge this gap not by abolishing the traditional system, but by formalising it. By integrating vocational and modern subjects, the state aims to turn a perceived social liability into a productive workforce.
