Don urges northern governors to prioritise Almajiri schools project

Immediate past Dean of Faculty of Arts, University of Abuja, Prof. Mabel Evwierhoma, has urged the 19 northern governors, to place premium on the “Almajiri schools project,” in view of its capacity to set free, youths of the area from illiteracy, and the zone from underdevelopment.

The Federal Government in October 2013, completed the handover of 64 out of the 89 Almajiri schools in the country.Work has been slow at the remaining 25 schools, which were at various stages of completion at that time, and which the Federal Government hoped to work in concert with the affected state governments to ensure the eradication of street begging, and the retention of Almajiri pupils in the schools.

According to Evwierhoma, the state governments would do well by owning those projects because of its attendant benefits, just as she insists that the greatest legacy the governors can bequeath to this segment of the society, as a way of preparing them for the future is sound education.

Speaking to The Guardian, at the valedictory/graduation ceremony of Westminster College Idimu, Lagos, Evwierhoma urged that it was imperative for governors to collaborate with the Federal Government to ensure that destitute children in the North, are integrated into schools as a social welfare project, which would also contribute significantly to reducing the shocking 10.6 million out-of-school children in the country- the highest in the world.

She added that it was imperative for the governors to effectively harness natural resources in their respective domains for the efficient management of the project, with a to consciously working towards securing a better future for the kids.

She said, “The Almajiri schools project should form an integral part of state policy of northern states because these states have the capacity to finance this project, with the Federal Government’s support. It should somewhat be designed to be like the free and compulsory primary education that was done in the then Western region of Nigeria for eleven years, which produced men and women that are highly placed in our society.” She urged the leaders to incorporate healthy lifestyles and nutritional guides into the project to enable the affected learn and grow accordingly in the right manner.“Almajiri kids are most often malnourished. When a child is enrolled into a formal school, the child’s health status most time would not go unnoticed,” she noted.