TheCable

Abdullahi Ganduje, governor of Kano state, says 95 percent of Almajiri roaming the streets of Kano are foreigners.

He disclosed this while speaking at a stakeholders’ meeting on free on compulsory education held at government house, Kano, on Thursday.

Almajiri is a system of Islamic education practised in northern Nigeria. Almajiri was derived from an Arabic word, rendered “al-Muhajirun” in English transliteration, meaning a person who leaves his home in search of knowledge.

Ganduje said the state government developed a compulsory free education initiative to overcome the situation by coming up with a policy that will bring an end to the trend.

He said the state is planning a special summit where all issues involved in the policy will be deliberated upon.

“We all believe that education is one of the major routes to economic prosperity and a corridor to scientific and technological advancement. It is at the same time, as largely regarded and enunciated, a veritable tool to combat unemployment,” he said.

He said the summit will seek practical ways to achieve the desired goals of the free and compulsory education, from primary to senior secondary school education.

“Part of our stakeholders for this noble policy are experts who specialise in basic education, some in science and technical education, some in assessment and quality control in education, some in examination management and also some would come from Almajiri system of education,” he said.

Ganduje said traditional institution will also form a part of the critical stakeholders in the implementation stage of the policy, adding that “because we believe in the important role they play in the education of our wards and the advancement of the sector as a whole, we said they must be included.”

He also urged the media to “come forward and be good partner for the overall development of the education sector in the state.”