Almajiri schools: How Jonathan gave homeless street beggars decent education & shelter

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The Almajiri Integrated Model School (AIMS) was commissioned by President Goodluck Jonathan in 2012 to remove the massive number of school-age children roaming the streets, off them. The objective was to bridge the gap between Islamic and Western education in the region, according to Sheik ShehuUbaidullah, the Principal of one of the schools in Sokoto that this reporter visited.

Ubaidullah who had previously been the principal of a traditional Almajiri school for seven years, explains to me that he embraced the integration of conventional Western school system and Islamic education as a means to re-educate children in the region and convince families in rural areas send their children to school.

At the Almajiri Model Boarding School in Gagi, Sokoto, I saw the pupils – all 260 of them - partake in an early morning and nightly Quranic recitation. In between, all other subjects taught to students in conventional schools are being taught as well. Students enjoy regular extra-curricular activities, take classes in Social Studies, utilize a science lab and are trained in vocational skills via a regular monthly workshop held by the school management. 

It seems like one administration  - the Jonathan one - has finally found a solution to the seemingly endless number of homeless children.

Almajiri children in class at an AIMS school

Special textbooks for Almajiri schools