The Metaphor of Almajirai

Abstract: Education enhances the capabilities of an individual. Thus, those who are denied the rights to education face the possibilities of limited chances in the future. UNESCO for instance, argues that meaningful education is the key to advance social justice; as people who are marginalised in education face bleak future. On that note, the enrollment of the almajirai boys in the Tsangaya schools of the Almajiri education system, otherwise call Tsangaya negates this UNESCO standard for proper educational advancement. The most difficult problem in the reformation and integration of the Tsangaya system into the mainstream educational system is based on the age-long cultural belief that the western education is contradictory to the whole essence of Islamic belief. Some believe that a child with western education will eventually lose his Islamic identity and embrace vices that negate the values and principles of Islam. The variables to the denial of secular education in the North mystify Almajirai as social misfits, as commodity for both the terrorists and politicians. Yet no known study has analysed information on the rights of secular education in far Northern Nigeria. This study, therefore examined Almajirai and the Rights to the Mainstream Western Education in the Northern Nigeria. The social Learning theory was used as the Theoretical Framework. The survey design was done through In-depth Interviews and Key Informant Interviews. The sample size was chosen based on multi-stage sampling method. Thirty households were systematically sampled from four Local Government Areas which yielded a sample size of 120 households selected from the three states in Far Northern Nigeria. It was observed that the almajiri activity is closely associated to violent crimes such as terrorism and kidnapping. The study concluded that the government should provide western education to replace Almajiri education in Northern Nigeria.

Keywords: Almajirai, Western Education, Rights, Tsangaya

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