I passed through the almajiri system three times, but would not send my child

By Faruk Ahmed

While growing up, I wasn't a conformist child. So, some members of my family felt I was stubborn and offered to take me to Almajiri schools in order to instil discipline in me.

While my family thought these places would clip my wings, I felt the experiences were actually winds to my sails.

I passed through the system on three occasions. I loved the experiences because they opened my eyes to the world.

The first time was while I was still in primary school, and the other was immediately after I sat for my first leaving school certificate, all in Kano. Normally, I would go to the Islamic schools during holidays, and once schools were about to resume, I would come back home.

Throughout the first two occasions, I was provided for by my father. But on the third occasion, I was already a grown-up. I had sat for my SSCE and gone through a two-year IJMB program. It was during the interregnum, waiting for admission into the university, that I attended another Almajiri school at Dala, Alhamderi, Maiduguri, Borno State.

While there, I fended for myself. I sold water on carts. I worked at a business centre. It was from this tsangaya that I eventually gained admission and pursued a two-year diploma in computer science at the University of Maiduguri.

 

A better me

My experiences from these outings changed my worldview for the better. Some of the skills and perspectives I use today were shaped during those street learnings, particularly the last one.

The Almajiri system gave me resilience, independence, and an education that classrooms alone could not provide.

But even with the inherent benefits I know of in the Tsangaya system, I don't think I will send my child to any of these schools today.

Why?

I am afraid of the sexual abuse that has become prevalent in too many institutions. The Quranic education itself is noble. But the absence of oversight has allowed predators to hide behind piety.

I am not afraid that my child will go begging. I will try as much as possible to provide for him. If he goes begging, that could even be part of a learning experience. But I cannot protect him from what happens behind closed doors.

 

A system that can work

Nupe indigenes also operate the Almajiri system of learning. Children still receive Quranic education. But their Malams integrate basic Western learning alongside it. The children do not beg on the streets.

During free hours, they perform menial jobs for neighbours—earning food or small payments for their services. The teachers feed them from contributions by parents and their own efforts. Some students even help on the farm.

When they grow up, these children work. They fend for themselves. They become contributors, not dependents.

The Nupe model proves something crucial: Almajirci is not the problem. Neglect is.

 

The problems we must name

We cannot fix what we refuse to see. Here are the problems we must confront:

  • Insecurity: A youth sent to plant bombs in Maiduguri mosques was recently found hiding in an Almajiri school in Damaturu, Yobe State. Terrorists exploit neglected children.
  • Sexual abuse: Scandals surface, then disappear, then surface again. Predators operate with impunity because no one is watching.
  • Begging: Children beg because their Mallams cannot feed them, and their parents have abandoned them.
  • Parental neglect: Beneath it all, parents bear children they cannot care for, and society looks away.

 

The proof of potential

Ask yourself: Who made it through this system?

  • Aliko Dangote, Africa's richest man and chairman of Dangote Group
  • AbdulSamad Rabiu, Chairman of BUA Group
  • Gwani Haruna Makoda, current Kano State Commissioner of Education
  • Hon. Sha'aban Ibrahim Sharada, journalist and former member representing Kano Municipal at the House of Representatives

And beyond these famous names, most of the affluent families across Northern Nigeria—the businessmen, the scholars, the community leaders—passed through the Almajiri system at some point in their lives.

The system produces billionaires and governors. It also produces street children. The difference is not the system itself. It is what we add to it, or fail to add.

 

What I propose

I support incorporating Western education into the Almajiri system. I support abolishing begging. I support holding parents responsible for their children—and where they cannot provide, society and Mallams must step in together.

The Nation Builders Initiative (TNBI) wants to pilot exactly this: a program that adds basic literacy, numeracy, life skills, and identity education to existing Quranic schools.

We start small. One Malam. One community. We prove it works. Then we scale.

I already know one Nupe Almajiri school in my area that is willing to modernise. They are proof that this can work.

 

My questions to you

  • Do you think the Almajiri system of education should be abolished or overhauled?
  • If it should be overhauled, what specifically needs to be fixed?
  • Do you know of other problems with the system that I have missed?
  • Do you know of people who went through the Tsangaya system and were transformed into better, more influential people?

 

An invitation

The Nation Builders Initiative is committed to acting on these questions. We are not here just to complain. We are here to build.

If you support this idea—or if you disagree and want to challenge it—I want to hear from you.

If you want to collaborate, partner, or simply share your own story, reach out.

WhatsApp: 080 3535 4008
Email: thenationbuildersinitiative@gmail.com

Whether you agree, disagree, or want to help—let's talk.

Faruk Ahmed is the Coordinator of The Nation Builders Initiative (TNBI), a civic action group focused on accountability, civic renewal, and community development. He passed through the Almajiri system three times. He is now working to make it better for the next generation.

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