Islamic Cleric Wants Bauchi Govt Intervention In Remodelling Tsangaya Schools

By Khalid Idris Doya 

A lecturer with the College Legal and Islamic Studies, Misau, Mallam Muhammad Mujtaba Abdullahi has called for the state government’s intervention in the remodelling of the Tsangaya system of education in the state.

“We are expecting the state government to contribute to the new development of remodelling and improving the tsangaya system of education in the state. We have started to carry the development by ourselves as almajiris and advocates of almajiris development of the system of education”, Mujtaba said.

He was speaking at the commissioning of a remodelled Tsangaya school at Madina Quarters of Bauchi metropolis built by a renowned Islamic cleric, Sheikh Goni Ibrahim Goni Jibrin, popularly known as Goni Karibullah held Weekend.

Mujtaba commended Sheikh Goni Karibullah for building the remodelled tsangaya school not only in Bauchi, but also in six other states of the North that included Borno, Gombe, Daura, and Rangaza in Kano state, and expressed confidence that it would make impact in clearing the street begging syndrome which the government is blaming the tsangaya system.

“So, we are appealing to the state government to intervene and give its own contribution, particularly in terms of feeding, among others. We almajiris are not recognizing ourselves as out of school children, actually there is out of school and there is almajiris”, Mujtaba said.

It is for this reason, the Islamic lecturer stated, that the immediate past government of Muhammadu Buhari initiated the commission for Almajiris, which is being addressed as Commission for Almajiris and Out of School Children, and not commission for out of school as is being contemplated in some quarters.

Mujtaba added, “In the North, we have the issue of almajiris and out of school, now we are doing this to address the issue of almajiris in particular, and now it’s left to the government to collaborate or make partnership with this kind of system so that we will carry the out of school along”.

The proprietor of the new remodelled Bauchi Tsangaya School, Sheikh Goni Ibrahim Goni Jibrin, popularly known as Goni Karibu he was born out of tsangaya system of education, and never participated in any schooling other than the tsangaya, hence his resolve to remodelled the system in tandem with the global best practices.

He further appealed to the state government to intervene particularly in establishing Remodelled Education and Skills Centres, and to equip at least one of those classes in each centre with skills acquisition tools and materials.

The Bauchi remodelled Tsangaya school was commissioned by the Hamlet head of Tirwun, Alh. Muhammad Tirwun who called on the state government to intervene through the provision of other infrastructural facilities to the Tsangaya school.

Also speaking, a renowned Islamic scholar, Sheikh Kabir Ali Tsafe enjoined clerics or Ulamas in the country, especially the North to remodel tsangaya system of education by integrating the Qur’anic and Western education in the Tsangaya schools.

Sheikh Tsare recalled that he has for sometimes now preaching the gospel of remodelling of tsangaya system of education, taking into cognisance that the Islamic clerics since adopted the global technological trends especially in joining the global system of communication, such as the use of handsets, automated teller machine, as they also use Roman alphabets in written communication.