Katsina registers 25,922 almajiri pupils, integrates 255 Qur’anic schools

Katsina State government has registered 25,922 Almajiri pupils across the state and also identified and integrated about 255 Qur’anic schools from 2019 till date in a renewed effort to solve the problem of out-of-school children.

The executive chairman of the state’s Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB), Alhaji Lawal Buhari, said this in an interview with pressmen in Katsina, the state capital, on Thursday.

Buhari added that 540 facilitators and mentors were also employed and trained in order to achieve the desired objective, saying the achievement was recorded through the intervention of the Basic Education Services Delivery for All (BESDA).

He said the registration and integration into formal education is with a view to repositioning the system to enable them to learn western education in addition to Islamic education.

He also revealed that the state government, through the intervention of BESDA, within the period under review, has spent S21million.

The executive secretary explained that BESDA is a World Bank’s intervention programme geared towards supporting states with the highest number of out-of-school children and Katsina is identified as one of the states.

He noted that BESDA intervenes in three key areas of equitable access to education, improving literacy and system strengthening.

“Katsina State has the highest number of out-of-school children of about 1,135,000 which include almajiri, Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) and vulnerable children.

“The implementation of the programme started in 2019 with the selection of 22 local government areas across the state for the reduction of out- of-school children.

“Also, 13 local government areas for intensive literacy programme, using RANA and Jolly Phonics models. From 2019 till date, 255 Qur’anic learning centres were integrated under the programme.”

“The programme has succeeded in the reduction of 361,525 out- of- school children, representing 36 per cent of the set target in the selected local governments in the state.

Buhari added that BESDA programme will end in October and appealed to the World Bank through the Federal Government to extend the programme beyond that period.

Nigerian Tribune gathered that the state has become a safe haven now for Almajiris, as the neighbouring states of Kano and Kaduna placed high restriction on street begging.

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