From the bustling streets of Kano to the busy junctions of Kaduna, the sight is familiar. At roadside restaurants, motor parks, markets and traffic intersections, young boys often wait quietly outside food stalls, hoping for a leftover meal or a small act of kindness from strangers. Some politely ask for alms. Others simply watch and wait.
They are children growing up in circumstances they did not choose. They did not decide where they would be born, the poverty they would inherit, or the system that would shape their childhood. Yet, for many Nigerians, they have become an ordinary part of the urban landscape, seen every day, but rarely truly noticed.
Behind every outstretched hand is a child with dreams, abilities and potential waiting to be nurtured. Their story is not merely about poverty or begging; it is about an education system that has drifted from its original purpose, a society struggling with deep economic realities, and a nation that cannot afford to lose another generation to neglect.
Contrary to popular belief, the original Almajiri system was never designed around street begging. Historically, communities, parents, and traditional institutions supported Qur’anic schools. However, colonial disruptions, urbanisation, economic hardship, and declining public investment gradually weakened that support structure, leaving many pupils to survive through begging. Researchers and government policy documents agree that the present condition is a distortion of the original system rather than its intended model.
Recognising this challenge, the administration of former President Goodluck Jonathan launched the Integrated Almajiri Education Programme between 2012 and 2015. More than 100 model Almajiri schools were constructed across northern Nigeria, with Sokoto serving as one of the flagship locations. The initiative sought to combine Qur’anic education with English, Mathematics, Science, Information Technology, and vocational training under one curriculum. The objective was simple: preserve Islamic education while equipping children with modern knowledge and employable skills. UNESCO reports from 2012 estimated that nearly 10 million Nigerian children of school age were not in formal education, with Almajirai forming a significant proportion. Jonathan’s intervention was therefore both timely and strategic.
Unfortunately, many of these schools gradually became abandoned or underutilised after changes in government. Several suffered from poor maintenance, inadequate staffing, and weak coordination between federal and state authorities. Although the succeeding administration of former President Muhammadu Buhari expressed support for integrating Almajiri education into the Universal Basic Education framework, implementation remained uneven across states, and many facilities failed to realise their intended purpose.
A 2019 study by the Nigerian Educational Research and Development Council confirmed that without continuity, the programme risked collapse. In May 2023, former President Buhari attempted to strengthen institutional support by appointing Hon. Sha’aban Sharada, then outgoing House of Representatives member for Kano Municipal, as the pioneer Executive Secretary of the newly established National Commission for Almajiri and Out-of-School Children Education. Operating from Abuja, the Commission was mandated to establish a multimodal system of education that tackles illiteracy, provides skill acquisition, and prevents destitution and youth delinquency. This was a significant step toward institutionalising reform.
However, in March 2024, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu reshuffled and reconstituted the leadership of the Commission, appointing Brigadier-General Lawal Ja’afar Isa (Rtd) as Board Chairman and Dr. Idris Muhammad Sani as Executive Secretary/CEO. These changes underscored the importance of continuity and political will in sustaining reforms across administrations.
Gombe State provides an important case study. Under Governor Muhammadu Inuwa Yahaya, the government invested in completing and upgrading an Integrated Almajiri School with modern classrooms, dormitories, and supporting facilities. Academic research on Gombe found considerable support among Almajiri pupils and teachers for integrating basic education into Qur’anic schools while preserving religious instruction.
However, researchers also concluded that sustained funding, community ownership, and teacher development are essential if such reforms are to succeed over time. Similar findings emerged from a 2026 study in Nasarawa State, which revealed that while Almajiri schools provide moral instruction, neglect perpetuates poverty, child labour, and insecurity. The study recommended curriculum modernisation, ICT integration, and stronger community engagement as pathways to sustainability.
The consequences of inaction are visible across many northern cities. Large numbers of out-of-school children remain vulnerable to child labour, exploitation, drug abuse, organised crime, and recruitment by violent groups. It is important, however, not to stigmatise every Almajiri child. Several academic studies caution against automatically linking Almajiri education with violent extremism, noting that poverty, exclusion, and lack of opportunity—not religious education itself—are the primary drivers of vulnerability. The North-East Development Commission in 2024 proposed the Smart Model for Almajiri Schools (SMAST), blending modern education with Islamic teachings and aiming to transition pupils from the streets into classrooms. This demonstrates that reform is not only possible but already being piloted.
Nigeria’s education crisis makes reform even more urgent. The country continues to record one of the world’s largest populations of out-of-school children, with northern states accounting for a significant proportion. Integrated Almajiri schools therefore represent not merely an educational intervention but an investment in national stability, human capital, and poverty reduction. Every abandoned Integrated Almajiri School should be audited, rehabilitated, and returned to full operation. Federal and state governments must jointly finance these schools through predictable annual budgetary allocations rather than relying solely on intervention funds. Qur’anic teachers (Mallams) should become recognised partners in education reform through professional training, certification, and incentives instead of being treated as obstacles. Vocational education, digital literacy, agriculture, and entrepreneurship should become compulsory components of the curriculum to prepare graduates for self-reliance. Community leaders, traditional rulers, religious scholars, and parents should jointly monitor implementation to ensure accountability. Finally, every northern governor should establish measurable targets for reducing the number of children living and begging on the streets within the next five years.
History has already shown that government intervention is possible. The Jonathan administration demonstrated political will by constructing integrated schools. Buhari’s administration attempted to institutionalise reform through the creation of the Almajiri Commission, while Tinubu’s government has reconstituted its leadership to strengthen oversight. Some states, including Gombe, have shown that improvements can still be made. What remains missing is continuity across administrations. The Almajiri child is not a burden to Nigeria; he is a citizen whose potential has been neglected for too long. Every child rescued from the streets and placed in a functional integrated school becomes a future teacher, engineer, entrepreneur, doctor, farmer, or public servant rather than another statistic in poverty or insecurity. The future of northern Nigeria, and indeed the future of the nation, depends on whether today’s leaders choose to complete the work that previous administrations began. The time to revive and strengthen the Integrated Almajiri School system is now.
- Aliyu Umar is a Public Affairs Analyst and can be reached via [email protected]
