Khalifa Dankade Charitable Foundation held a symposium at the Africa House, Kano state Government House to discuss issues plaguing the tsangaya system of education, in six northern states.
The event was attended by dignitaries from different parts of the northern states to embrace the meeting towards strengthening the Almajiranci system of education from traditional to a more cultured system of education, to equip the students (Almajiri) with qualitative education.
Dignitaries such as Dr Said Hassan, Dr Badamasi Chiranci, Commissioner of Education, Katsina state, Dr Yahya, Dean Faculty of Education, Umaru Musa Yar’adua University, DES, Dr Kakale of Arabic and Islamic Board Sokoto State and many others.
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In a welcome address, Dr Said Hassan stressed the need to firmly reform the tsangaya system of education as to produce personalities in the society, “Since 9 am to 5 pm different brainstorming session was held towards the reformation of the tsangaya system of education because Nigeria has outnumbered other part of the countries in terms of Quranic crammers”. He said.
He assured that the foundation is convenient to support the students and their teachers with all the necessary assistance to strengthen and change the traditional ways in which the Tsangaya knowledge is being acquired.
While speaking on the importance of the Tsangaya system of education, Dr Said stressed that “Education is part of human life, and with education, resourceful calibres will be produced in the society, the new curriculum will be adopted, filtered by Bayero University Kano and Umaru Musa Yar’adua University to change the previous curriculum of tsangaya teaching, to make a better life for the students.”
The Tsangaya system of education is known as the traditional system of education that derived its teachings from the Holy Quran.
The essence of the Tsangaya educational method is to reduce the number of Almajiri roaming the street and provide them with an excellent education to understand the meaning of what they are acquainted with.
Chairman of the Foundation Khalifa Usman Mustapha said, “The essence of the gathering is to reform and shapen the tsangaya system of learning. We have developed a partnership with relevant stakeholders in six northern states, Kano state which is the sixth visited state”.
He acknowledged that “we have resolved to embark on the adventure task force of working with Arewa government officials to a standard curriculum that can apply to all northern states and integrated curriculum that will give the Almajiris the required capacity and character in this society and a skill-based curriculum that will equip them to be productive to the society”.
“KDC foundation has engaged 60 tsangaya schools across six northern states. Kano, Jigawa, Katsina, Zamfara, Sokoto, and Niger, so that we can help those tsangaya schools to meet the operational guidelines we have developed and engaged volunteer tutors that will be nominated to implement the curriculum,” he stressed.
In closing remarks by the Deputy Governor of Kano state, Dr Nasiru Yusif Gawuna commended the effort of the foundation and relevant stakeholders towards making sure the tsangaya schools are not left out deteriorated but working towards reforming its ideology of inclusion, integration, and engagement.
He disclosed that, the government will distribute a memo to all northern state governors to adopt the development of reforming tsangaya system of education.
The theme of the event is “central review and validation workshop on tsangaya schools curriculum and operational guidelines” to boost the almajiranci reform initiative.