The Sokoto State Government has paid 30 per cent of the cost of new Almajiri and out-of-school children learning centres across the state, paving the way for contractors to commence construction.
The State Commissioner for Basic and Secondary Education, Prof. Ahmad Ladan Ala, disclosed this during a stakeholders’ engagement on Almajiri and out-of-school children’s education held at the Auditorium of the Sultan Maccido Institute for Qur’anic and General Studies, Sokoto.
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The engagement was organised by the Office of the Special Adviser to the Minister of Education on Almajiri and Out-of-School Children’s Education, in collaboration with the National Commission for Almajiri and Out-of-School Children’s Education.
Ala said the payment had enabled the contractor to mobilise fully to the project sites and begin construction.
He explained that the learning centres were designed to combine basic Western education, Islamic education and entrepreneurship training to equip children with skills to become self-reliant and productive members of society.
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The commissioner also disclosed that the state government, in collaboration with UNICEF, had constructed three Digital Almajiri and Out-of-School Children Centres across the state.
According to him, 1,816 out-of-school children are currently undergoing basic literacy and numeracy training as part of efforts to address the problem.
Speaking at the event, the Minister of Education, Dr Maruf Tunji Alausa, represented by his Special Adviser on Almajiri and Out-of-School Children’s Education, Dr Balarabe Shehu Kakale, said the Almajiri education system was undergoing major reforms at both federal and state levels.
He said the reforms were aimed at reducing street begging while integrating basic literacy, numeracy and vocational skills into traditional Qur’anic education.
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Kakale also highlighted the nationwide tour by the National Commission for Almajiri and Out-of-School Children’s Education to assess existing programmes, engage stakeholders and strengthen the delivery of Almajiri education across the country.
Also speaking, Nura Muhammad, who represented the Executive Secretary of the commission, stressed the importance of stakeholder engagement in developing practical and sustainable solutions to the challenges facing Almajiri and out-of-school children.
