The Kebbi State government, through the Ministry of Religious Affairs, has begun counting the Almajiri schools across the state.
The initiative is aimed at gathering data on the age and number and location of pupils, as well as information about their parents and their origins with a view to finding lasting solution to the educational system
The commissioner for religious affairs, Muhammad Sani Aliyu, made this known during a meeting organized by the Ministry of Information and Culture in Birnin Kebbi.
Aliyu who explained that this initiative is part of the government’s efforts to monitor and regulate the almajiri system in Kebbi State, acknowledged potential resistance from those exploiting children for personal gain but emphasized the government’s commitment to addressing this issue.
Mr. Aliyu clarified that the government’s goal is not to forcibly end the almajiri system but rather to ensure that parents taking part in it are fully prepared and responsible by providing the necessary resources to support their children’s education and prevent exploitation.
According to Aliyu, guidelines for Almajiri schools’ operations will soon be created in order to prevent children from doing terrible things like joining gangs or taking drugs.
He also mentioned that the ministry, through the Zakat Department, has helped a lot of people with mental health problems.
They did this for free at Zauro General Hospital, outside Birnin Kebbi. They treated people from Kebbi State and even from nearby states and countries like Benin and Niger. They did this on weekends with help from doctors from other hospitals.
