The Minister of Education, Olatunji Alausa, has called for increased education sector funding to tackle the menace of Almajiri and out-of-school children in Nigeria.
Mr Alausa made the call on Tuesday in Abuja during the 2025 budget defence session of the National Assembly Joint Committees on Tertiary Institutions, TETFund, and Education.
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Almajiri is a local bastardisatiion of the Arabic word ‘Al-Muhaajirun” meaning “Immigrants.”
A report by UNICEF said there are about 9.5 million Almajiri children in Nigeria, 72 per cent of the nation’s out-of-school children.
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It also said the number of out-of-school children in Nigeria is 18.3 million, estimating that one in three children in Nigeria are out of school.
Most of the Almajiri children are in Northern Nigeria.
The Almajiri schools were constructed by the administration of former President Goodluck Jonathan, but successive governments have failed to maintain the operation.
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During the budget defence session, Mr Alausa expressed concern over the country’s alarming number of out-of-school children.
“The funding of the Almajiri and out-of-school commission is not enough. We need more funding in this regard,” the minister said.
Only few Almajiri schools operational
Mr Alausa noted that only a few of the over 100 schools of the almajiris in Northern Nigeria are still operational.
He lamented the system’s neglect but assured the Tinubu government would revive the almajiri education.
“Of the over a hundred of the schools built for out-of-school children, only a few are operational,” he said.
He highlighted the urgent need to invest in human capital development, noting that Nigeria’s low human capital index threatens national progress.
“We want them to develop. It is the best part of any society. Without education, we can’t survive as a society.
“And if you look at the human capital index, Nigeria has one of the lowest human capital index in the world,” he added.
Collaborating with state governments
Mr Alausa also said the federal government has intensified efforts to address Nigeria’s growing out-of-school children crisis by working closely with state governments to find lasting solutions.
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“So, we’re working together on this. It now has to be a collaborative effort on what we have to do. The number of out-of-school children is mind-boggling and disturbing. It is not in just one geopolitical region. It is everywhere.
“We need to confront it; otherwise, we will be consumed by it. We have to engage with our governors, and we have held meetings with the Nigerian Governors’ Forum on how to collaborate on this. We are also working with all the 36 commissioners for education, including that of the FCT”.
Responding, the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Tertiary Institutions and TETFund, Muntari Dandutse, backed the collaboration, highlighting the need for efficient resource allocation to bridge gaps in the education sector.
“As lawmakers, we have a constitutional responsibility to ensure that resources allocated to this critical sector are strategically planned and utilised,” he said.
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