Katsina Governor Aminu Bello Masari has ordered the restructuring of the Almajiri Koranic system of education in the state to address the challenges posed by the out-of-school-syndrome and promote inclusive education.
The Governor, who gave the directive while inaugurating three committees that will serve at the state, local government and wards levels in monitoring the Federal Government’s home grown school feeding programme, said it has become necessary to instill sanity in the quality of education in the state and free katsina streets from wondering Children
Some of the structural reforms ordered by the Governor include the conduct of the census of Almajiri Schools in the state to ascertain their actual number and population of pupils, extension of the school feeding programs to the Almajiri centres, restriction of the recruitment of pupils and teachers into the Almajiri schools in Katsina from the states and local Governments, incorporation of western education like English and mathematics into the Almajiri system and so on.
The Governor charged the members of the committee to show commitment and dedication to the responsibilities given to them, and quick reprieve from the challenges experienced in the school feeding system.
He said: “I am changing the committees to look at the Almajiri system and create centers in each of the schools. If we start to introduce and bring in the Almajiri system to school feeding program we will reduce the influx of young children in the streets and also help us on how we can give them some lessons especially on mathematics and English language.”
The focal person in charge of the home grown school feeding program, Abdulkadir Muhammad Nasir, said the main purpose of setting the committees is to monitor and supervise the program at all levels.
He said: “In the case of the wards committee, they are to propose names of vendors that will be drown from their wards and schools to provide food to the pupils as well as supervise the quality and quantity of food cook to ensure compliance”
He also revealed that ” at inception, Katsina had a number of 338,488 pupils that are currently on the school feeding register, and each child is entitled to N70,00 food every day, which brings a total amount spent in Katsina FG food feeding program to N23,million daily and N473 million every month and 5. 6 billion annually.”
