The Dilemma of Traditional Islamic Education in Northern Nigeria
By Nadir A. Nasidi (PhD)
AREWA AGENDA – Despite the roles played by traditional Islamic/Qur’anic schools since the 11th century, particularly in the dissemination and spread of Islamic education in the present day Northern Nigeria and beyond, like the British, successive post-colonial Nigerian governments relegated the system to the background of the nation’s educational development for many years.
Since the Maitatsine conflict of the 1980s, which claimed many lives and properties in Kano and the North-eastern states in the Northern region, there have been increasing concerns over the entire traditional Qur’anic school system (Almajiranci), which in some quarters is presumably seen to have been a breeding ground of Islamic extremists and militant radicalism, especially with the emergence of the Boko-Haram insurgency in Northern Nigeria. This also coupled with the few reported cases of exploitation and victimization of the almajirai (pupils of the Qur’anic school mostly sent from the countryside by their careless parents) by their malamai (teachers) and members of the larger society.
With the increasing concerns over the entire traditional system of Islamic education by researchers, public commentators and some policy-makers, the system has come to be portrayed in bad light, with the result that there are some calls for its ban.
These agitations on one hand and the fear of the reactions of mainstream Muslims if the system is banned on the other, made the Nigerian government to ‘introduce’ some ‘intervention programmes’ aimed at ‘reforming’ and ‘integrating’ the traditional Islamic system into the broader national educational schemes. Some of these programmes include the introduction of National Commission for Mass Literacy and Non-formal Education, A Raya Tsangayu (Let us revive Qur’anic schools), the establishment of National Board for Arabic and Islamic Studies (NBAIS), as well as the integration of the traditional school system into the government’s Universal Basic Education Programme (UBE).
With the outbreak of the Corona Virus Pandemic in 2020 Northern Nigerian governors with the exception of that of Borno and Yobe decided to ban the traditional Islamic school system of education in their states and made a bold step in deploying all non-indigene almajirai (pupils) back to their respective states across the federation.
Despite the massive deportation of the almajirai, street begging still persists in most capitals of the Northern states. This situation therefore, demands more than just a rush policy formulation, but a thorough study and examination of the situation.
In the light of the gloomy picture that I have painted above, there are many hidden secrets, which the people of Northern Nigeria do not know about the efforts made by the British colonial government, the Nigerian government (both federal and state), a group of westernized elites, as well as some non-governmental organizations to conceal their sinister motives and hidden agenda by calling for the banning of the traditional Islamic education as though it is the source of our present insecurity challenges. In this regard therefore, I intend to discuss the following points:
1. Though the British colonial government was forced to employ the services of traditional Islamic scholars and their students as judges and clerks from the beginning of the colonial rule mainly because of their literacy, the British was responsible for laying the foundation for the relegation of the traditional Islamic schools. This began with the establishment of western education in the present day Northern Nigeria starting with Hans Vischer’s industrial school in 1908, which was located at Nassarawa in Kano. This school led to the establishment of many western schools across the region. For instance, in 1913, provincial elementary schools were established in Katsina and Sokoto. Later, colleges and universities were also established from the 1920s up to 1962. With the consolidation of the western education, the government had never paid any attention to the traditional Islamic schools, which it also regarded as a hindrance to their grand colonial educational project as examined by Walter Rodney in his magnum opus.
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2. Unfortunately, the post-colonial Nigerian state instead of recognizing the unique role played by the traditional Islamic school system, they built on the British master plan to destroy it and with no substitute. Though some administrations, especially that of Goodluck Ebele Jonathan has made an effort in 2012 to develop and revitalize the traditional Islamic schools by building and commissioning about 64 schools, most of such programmes have been bastardized by the so-called Nigerian elites who took advantage of the whole project and stole billions of Naira. As reported by Premium Times on the 7th of April, 2012, the Nigerian government awarded N5 billion contract for the building of Almajiri Schools across the country. In addition to that, the government has signed a 98 million dollar loan with the Islamic Development Bank (IDB) to ‘promote’ the ‘education of almajiris’ and the girl-child in Nigeria. Whoever knows the places where the said almajiri schools are located will tell you that no effort was made to improve them. The question to ask here is that, where is the money? Stolen?
This problem became worst as the Nigerian government has no regard, whatsoever, to education and knowledge production. The second question is that how can a country that fails to adequately fund even the western types of schools that are considered the ‘preferred’ (from the primary to tertiary levels) be committed to reforming the the traditional Islamic school system? By the way, many primary and secondary schools in the country are dilapidated with pupils/students sitting on the ground apart from being exposed to the harshness of the weather due to the total absence of roofing. In his detailed doctoral research completed in 2015 at the University of Leiden on the traditional Islamic schools in Northern Nigeria with particular reference to Ilorin, Dr. Aliyu S. Alabi argues that the ‘Society’s attitude towards the system [referring to the traditional Islamic schools], absence of state support and financial wherewithal unlike the western system has been a major hindrance to progress in the system. Despite this limited capacity the scholars have been unrelenting, continuously adapting the system to the needs of the society’.
3. Contrary to the common, but wrong notion that the almajira are the source of terrorism in form of Boko-Haram and kidnapping, Hannah Hoechner in her book titled “Qur’anic Schools in Northern Nigeria: Everyday Experiences of Youth, Faith and Poverty”, which was published by Cambridge University Press in 2018 has completely debunked that notion. She conducted a purely empirical research on many traditional Qur’anic schools across Northern Nigeria and could not establish a direct link of the role of the almajirai in either the Boko-Haram insurgency, or kidnapping. According to her ‘The almajirai, the students of such schools, have attracted attention in the context of increased attempts to universalise primary education and growing concerns about child welfare. They have also been discussed as potential ‘foot soldiers’ for violence in the context of Boko Haram. As systematic evidence does not exist to substantiate such claims, the link between almajirai and violence is often made with reference to the conditions of their upbringing’. In an interview report conducted by Daily Trust on the 6th of March, 2022, Bello Turji, the leader of notorious bandit groups along Zamfara and Sokoto axis made it plain that most of them can neither read nor write because they have not attended any school be it Islamic, or western. Since it is established beyond reasonable doubt that those people are not almajirai, we need those calling for the banning of the traditional Islamic school system to tell us who they are.
4. In the past, the people of Northern Nigeria regarded themselves as stakeholders in the development of the traditional Islamic schools, but since when we begin to treat it as to ‘whom it may concern’, the system has deteriorated from bad to worst. Besides, the incessant and merciless embezzlement of national resources by those in power has also thrown the country into poverty and squalor to the extent that the remnants of those supporting the traditional system of education could not do so.
Instead of calling names and in some cases, blaming the almajirai and their poor parents, we should tell ourselves the truth. We all contributed to the failure of the system. When I say we, I am referring to the larger community, the westernized elites and above all, the Nigerian rulers whose only interest is to steal from the public treasury. The traditional Islamic system of education requires a more articulate and realistic plan, or a collective action. This should involve mapping out of sound policies to address the issues around the traditional Islamic system of education. It should also include drawing on vexed stake-holders such as traditional and religious institutions, considering Qur’anic education is deeply rooted in the cultural and religious practices of the people. This is on the understanding that governmental actions can only provide the capacity for reforms; its implementation will require the collaborations or relevant stake-holders for meaningful impact to be achieved to reform and improve the system for sustainability. Besides, poor stakeholders’ responses, demographic pressure, lack, or absence of synergy between the various arms of government, abandonment of policies, abdication of responsibilities by traditional rulers, have all gathered to form a challenge to the various attempts aimed at reforming the traditional Islamic school system.
Nadir A. Nasidi (PhD) is from Department of History, University of Ghana, Legon [email protected]
