FG, states must align strategies to tackle Almajiri, out-of-school crisis — Alausa
The Minister of Education, Tunji Alausa, has called for deeper collaboration between the federal and state governments to address Nigeria’s growing Almajiri and out-of-school children crisis.
Alausa made the call on Sunday during a peer-learning webinar organised by the Committee of States Commissioners of Education in Nigeria (COSCEN), aimed at strengthening coordinated education reforms nationwide.
According to a report by The Cable newspaper, the maiden edition of the webinar focused on reforms in Gombe State under the theme, “Gombe Strategy in Addressing Out-of-School Children: Innovative Models, Measurable Results and Scalable Options.”
The Almajiri system — a traditional Islamic education model practised mainly in northern Nigeria — derives from the Arabic word “al-Muhajirun,” meaning a person who leaves home in search of knowledge.
Speaking at the event, Alausa stressed that reducing the number of out-of-school children requires “shared accountability, harmonised implementation frameworks, and evidence-based planning across all tiers of government.”
He described the webinar as timely and aligned with national education priorities, noting that Nigeria is better positioned to confront the long-standing Almajiri and out-of-school challenge.
According to a September 2024 report by United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), Nigeria faces an education crisis, with 10.2 million children of primary school age and 8.1 million of junior secondary school age currently out of school. The agency also reported that 74 percent of children aged 7 to 14 lack basic reading and numeracy skills.
UNICEF attributed the crisis partly to insecurity, citing 19 attacks on schools between 2022 and 2023 and the closure of 113 schools in Borno State, Adamawa State and Yobe State.
