By Funmilayo Adeyemi

The Federal Government and education stakeholders have vowed to end the Almajiri street-begging crisis by integrating modern learning with quranic education.

This was the position of stakeholders at a one-day presentation of Civil Society Organisations on the Revitalisation of the Almajiri-Tsangaya System of Education in Nigeria, in Abuja.

They proposed a new robust policy with legal backing from the National Assembly to address Almajiri education.

The Minister of State for Education, Prof. Suwaiba Ahmad, emphasised a “bottom-up” policy approach, engaging communities and state governments to ensure sustainable Almajiri education reform.

According to her, we want to ensure that each and every Almajiri, not only benefits from Islamic education, Quranic memorisation, but also has the opportunity to be a functional and effective member of the society.

“The ministry has already begun a process of developing a national policy on Almajiri and will also sponsor a bill to the National Assembly.

“Every government, from Obasanjo’s time, had initiatives, but they were not sustainable, when another government comes, it stops.

“The aim of the policy is to provide adequate mechanisms for the operation of Almajiri schools in Nigeria.”

The minister revealed broad governmental support, including from the National Security Advisor, governors, and lawmakers, who backed a proposed bill to institutionalise reforms.

She highlighted key plans to achieve this to include infrastructure upgrades and legal safeguards, targeting Almajiri welfare, teacher incentives, and parental accountability to break the cycle of neglect.

“The present administration has made outstanding educational investments constructing 7,200 new schools, renovating 195,000 classrooms, producing 1,680,000 school furniture, training one million teachers, supplying two million teaching aids and distributing 103 million textbooks,’’ she revealed.

In his remarks, the Executive Secretary, National Commission for Almajiri and Out-of-School Children (NCAOOSCE), Dr Muhammad Idris, highlighted severe abuses against Almajiri children, citing cases of blindness, sodomy, and starvation, while condemning systemic neglect and discrimination.

“Guzeiru lost his two eyes in the quest to memorise Quran.

“Abdullahi, a 12-year-old boy was battling with his health last three months in Kano because he was sodomised by his master in his attempt to feed him.

“I met Ibrahim last year around 11 p.m., in Abuja, having been beaten by the rain of that day, crying, he said, ‘I couldn’t eat in the last 24 hours,” Idris revealed.

He lauded President Bola Tinubu’s commitment to reforming Almajiri education and thanked the education ministers for their relentless efforts to end child street begging.

He expressed hope for policy changes, urging collective action to integrate Almajiri children into society through education and welfare reforms.

Country Director, PLAN International, Charles Usei, revealed that the organisation was spearheading a revitalised effort to reform Nigeria’s Almajiri education system.

Usei criticised past policies for lacking implementation frameworks and legal backing.

“You can only have so many policies that don’t make sense if you don’t bring it to action. Once there is no policy legislation, the government doesn’t prioritise it,” he said.

He added that PLAN had launched pilot programmes in Sokoto and Adamawa to test models that integrate Quranic education with basic literacy and science.

According to him, we have shown that this model works but we need policy backing and accurate data.”

He said that the initiative pushed for accountability, demanding the Almajiri Commission to produce reliable data and secure legislation to ensure sustainability amid disputes over UNESCO/UBEC statistics that have stalled progress for decades. (NAN)(www.nannews.ng)

Edited by Deborah Coker

By Lucy Osuizigbo-Okechukwu

The Anambra State Government has directed all owners of private schools operating without official approval to obtain the necessary authorisation by September, or face closure.

Prof. Ngozi Chuma-Udeh, the state’s Commissioner for Education, gave the warning during a stakeholders’ meeting of proprietors of private schools, in Awka on Thursday.

Chuma-Udeh questioned the reasons for the delay in securing the necessary approvals, in spite multiple warnings and an extended grace period.

She said any further delay would not be tolerated.

“There are still many private schools in the state that have yet to be approved. The time given by the governor to shut down such schools has expired.

“Even though I took permission from governor to extend the time and has been holding back the task force, the owners of the schools are still delaying.

“This meeting is to know the reason for the delay in getting approval. But if by beginning of first term, those schools are yet to be approved, we will close them down.

“That is what the law stipulates, and we have given enough grace,” she said.

Some school proprietors alleged that impostors pretending to be government officials had visited their schools to extort money.

The commissioner promised to look into the complaint and act accordingly. (NAN) (www.nannews.ng)

Edited by Folasade Adeniran

By Funmilayo Adeyemi

The Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa, has directed all federal tertiary institutions that have been granted waivers to recruit staff to publicly advertise the available vacancies.

The ministry’s Director of Press, Folasade Boriowo, made this known to newsmen in Abuja on Thursday.

Alausa urged the institutions to advertise in at least one national daily newspaper, on their respective websites, and in other relevant academic and professional journals.

According to him, this directive aims to ensure a transparent, open, and competitive recruitment process that offers equal opportunity to all eligible Nigerians.

“This follows the waivers granted to federal tertiary institutions based on submissions made by these institutions concerning their manpower requirements.

“It is in line with the ministry’s commitment to enhancing the capacity of our higher education institutions,” he said.

He reminded all federal tertiary institutions to submit their recruitment needs to the ministry for review by the Committee on Waiver and Recruitment.

“The ministry has put in place adequate mechanisms to ensure compliance and will not hesitate to apply sanctions against any institution that fails to adhere to this directive.

“The Federal Ministry of Education remains firmly dedicated to promoting integrity and fairness in all matters related to the Nigerian higher education system,” he said. (NAN)(www.nannews.ng)

Edited by Tosin Kolade

By Funmilayo Adeyemi

The Federal Ministry of Education has officially unveiled the Counselling Practitioners of Nigeria (CPCN) Council with the goal of regulating counselling practice nationwide.

The Permanent Secretary of the Ministry, Abel Enitan, emphasised the need for the council to improve the quality of counselling services in Nigeria during the inauguration held in Abuja on Tuesday.

Represented by the Director of Polytechnics and Allied Education, Usman Ejeh, Enitan acknowledged the setbacks in counselling practice.

He noted issues such as misconceptions, role conflicts, and a lack of understanding of the counselling profession, which had hindered its effectiveness.

“Behavioural challenges commonly manifest among adolescents, which can hinder their growth and development into responsible adults in society if left unchecked.

“It is also important to note that counselling practice, particularly in Nigerian schools, has suffered setbacks.

“This is due to issues such as misconceptions, a lack of understanding of the concepts and nature of counselling, undefined roles, and role conflicts, all of which have made counselling appear ineffective in achieving its desired goals.

“It was on this premise that the Federal Ministry of Education conceived the idea of developing the National Policy on Counselling (NPC) and its implementation guidelines,” he said.

He stressed that the new committee would focus on defining counsellors’ roles and streamlining counselling practices to ensure desired outcomes.

The Director of Education Support Services, Lara Nana-Ahmed, urged the council to recognise their pivotal role in contributing to the development of the education sector.

In response, the Chairman of the Governing Board, Prof. Malami Tambawal, assured the council’s commitment to advancing educational development in Nigeria. (NAN)(www.nannews.ng)

Edited by Abiemwense Moru