HELPING THE ALMAJIRI

BY UMMI BUKAR
Children are special gifts entrusted upon us by God. It is the duty of every parent to guide, nurture and protect his or her children so that they can become useful individuals not only to themselves and their parents, but the society at large. A lot of parents however have abdicated their obligation of properly caring for and educating their children. This is evident in the large number of children seen wandering around doing menial jobs and begging for alms. These children known as “almajiris” are sent from all over West Africa, to acquire Quranic education mostly in the northern part of Nigeria, but are usually seen to be going about begging for alms and food. This is indeed ironic, as Islam forbids begging but enjoins man to use his brains and hands to make a living for himself and his family. Nowhere in the Islamic scriptures is it stated that parents should send their children to become beggars. The almajiri system as is practiced today degrades and abuses the original intention.
The system started in the eleventh century as a result of the involvement by Borno Empire rulers in Quranic literacy. Over seven hundred years later, the Sokoto Caliphate was founded through an Islamic revolution. These two empires ran similar Quranic systems which over time came to be known as the almajiri system. However, the system then was very different from what we have today. In the pre-colonial era, all the learning centres were closely located, and the students went everyday from their homes. The schools were maintained by the communities and funded with the Islamic tax KNOWN AS zakat and also supplemented through a joint student/teacher farming. THEY were closely monitored by the emirs. But with the coming of British colonialism and abolishment of state funding of these schools, the students and their teachers resorted to begging and menial jobs for survival. The almajiri system today, is deplorable, not only are these children left to fend for themselves at a tender age, the injustices they face on a daily basis is too horrible to contemplate.
Oftentimes they are either killed in road accidents or easily succumb to any of the seriously endemic diseases or epidemics, with no one to care for them or give them medical attention. A lot of almajiris fall victims of ritualists and are often times killed or maimed. They live in deprivation, hunger and abject poverty, and therefore become easy prey to anti social vices SUCH AS religious, ethnic and political clashes. They neither attain the full essence of the Quran nor the practical skills required for modern living in order to contribute meaningfully to society or earn a living for themselves. As a result, they become a burden and a menace to society. It is therefore the duty of every family, community and government to find a lasting solution to the plight of these children. The almajiri system as practiced today has outlived its usefulness, largely because there is a fusion of ideas between the Islamic and the western education. Today, it is common to find those who started out as Quranic students doing very well with Western education and those who have never gone to formal Quranic schools reading and expertly translating the Quran, the Hadeeths and other Islamic scriptures. Therefore, Proper schools should be established for the almajiris, where Islamic education is combined with western knowledge to afford children the best of both worlds. Similarly, the almajiri Mallams should be trained and put on regular salary in order to improve their standard. Apart from the formal education, the almajiri students should be imparted WITH RELEVANT skills so that they can take care of themselves. It is encouraging that some state governments have made efforts at addressing this problem. FOR INSTANCE THE NIGER STATE GOVERNMENT RECENTLY ENROLLED OVER 500 ALMAJIRIS INTO SCHOOLS. THIS INITIATIVE MUST NOT ONLY BE COMMENDED BUT APPLIED BY OTHER AFFECTED STATES BECAUSE more still needs to be done. The private sector, wealthy individuals should also contribute their quota. AS SUGGESTED BY GOVERNOR IBRHIM SHEKARAU OF KANO STATE LAST YEAR, THE GOVERNMENT AND PEOPLE OF THE AFFECTED STATES SHOULD COME TOGETHER AND FASHION OUT A HOLISTIC APPROACH TO THE PROBLEM.


Source: recorded live from FRCN daily commentary