REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE
INTRODUCTION
The issue of Almajiri has remained worrisome in the minds of Northern elites. This is because the practice has been a source of embarrassment to the region. The concept of Almajiri came as a result of prophet Muhammad’s migration from mecca to madina. In Hausa land the term Almajiri I could take any of the following formsi any person irrespective of gender who begs for assistance on the street or from house to House as a result of some deformity or disability, children between the age of seven and fifteen who attend informal religious school. according Muhammad (2010); the concept of Almajiri education in Nigeria started in the olden days when the quest to acquire knowledge was prevent especially the Qur’anic knowledge by the Muslim there were no laid down procedures or channels to adopt in obtaining such except the unconventional way of handing over words to a supposedly teacher know as Mallam.
CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK OF ALMAJIRI SYSTEM OF EDUCATION
Almajiri is derived from Arabic word “ Almuhajiri which means an emigrant or traveler. It is being used to described the moving Qur’anic students in west African specially Nigeria. The almajiranci is an educational system that is primarily Islamic. Abdulraham cannon (1978) noted that toward the end of 19th century when movement of people in Northern Nigeria in particular became less dangerous. The costom become increasingly wider spread for a Mallam (teacher) to take his school on a four during the try season. This suggest that the movement of the almajiri is seasonal.
QUR’ANIC SCHOOL SYSTEM ALMAJIRANCI
In the Qur’anic school system Almajiranci are usually entrusted in the care of learned person “mallam” where it is hoped that they would have the necessary concentration and larning atmosphere. The Qur’anic school are usually found in or outside mosques or any other convenient place especially built for that purpose.
Allamin (1987) emphasis that Islamic learning in the “mallam” settlement were the student and their teachers gathered to take Qur’anic lessons. Both boys and girls start the Qur’anic education at the age of six to seven the attendance to the almajiri learning is through the boarding student go for Bara (Begging or alms) in the locality so as to feed themselves.
In this system learning, it was based on two main objectives the intellectual and moral training of the pupil. The intellectual objectives is restricted objectives is restricted to expose them to reading and writing of the Qur’an. As for the boarding students their enrollment is mostly aimed at producing future mallams and professional in various field such as Hadith, fiqh, sirah.
The second objective of the Almajiri’s system of education is the provision of moral development of the pupils which include the teaching of goof habits and manners.
The boarding type, five mouths are utilized for active activities and seven begin at the commencement of dry season after farm harvest, the weekly academic routine is five days i.e Saturday, Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday are been used for concentration by the pupils on the contents of their slate (Allo) so that they can understand it properly. Thursday or Friday are used for break. While the students are on break lecture are conducted in some case for the adults by the mallams.
The Almajiri system syllabus comprises of the lower and the advanced level studies. It involves five stages and every newly admitted students must initiate his studies from the beginning and may stop at the end of the elementary state. These stages comprises of the following:
Babbaku stage: Pupils are taught about Arabic alphabets and their identification. These are written on wooden slate (Allo) and the pupils are expected to differentiate the alphabets within few number of week.
Farfaru stage: In this stage, the pupils are trained on the Arabic vowels. It is more difficult than the first stage and requires longer time for their mastery.
Zube stage: This sub same leading, reading and writing of the glorious Qur’an, the Qur’an is written by the pupils portion to portion until the finishes it and master the art of writing and recitation without mistake. This mark the end of the elementary level.
Haddatu stage: The boarding students continue with advanced syllabus. At this stage the student memorizes the Qur’an gradually until he finally commits all to memory.
Satu stage: In this stage the students learn how to write the portions of the Qur’an from memory. Until he writes out a complete Qur’an from his memory on the sheets of papers before he can be recognized as Hafiz (Memorizer of Qur’an).
Payment of fees in Almajiri Schools as pointed out by Fafunwa (1974) is either in cash or in kind. There is no fixed amount in the schools and it varies from teacher to teacher. In some part of Northern Nigeria, the fees are paid to the teachers on weekly basis some collect some amount of money such as N500 or even more. During one of Muslim festivals some teachers may also received gifts such as meet, grains cooked foodstuffs, piece of cloth etc.
It is to note that the charging concept of Almajiranci is in accordance with the ideology of the writers. In the Islamic concept, Muslims are obliged to seek for knowledge as mentioned earlier with evidence from both the Qur’an and the prophetic sunnah. The prophet (S.A.W) himself used to teach his followers and used to send teachers to the new converts. The Muslims Armies used to have teachers among them solves and whenever the Muslims conquer a place they established mosques and schools as Islam could not be practice without knowledge.
HISTORICAL DEVELOPMENT OF ALMAJIRI SYSTEM OF EDUCATION
The word “Almajiri” is derived from Arabic word ‘Almuhajirun’ migrants. It refers to a traditional method of acquiring and memorizing the Glorious Qur’an in Hausa/Fulani land where boys at their tender ages are sent out by their parents or guardians to other villages, towns or cities for Qur’an education under knowledge Islamic scholar called Mallam. According to Bambale (2003) Almajirai (plural of Almajiri) are categorized in to three classes.
Gardi (Adult)
Titibiri (adolescent) and (3)Kolo (an infant) The Gardi (adult) engage in some labours-intensive services for a mean of livelihood while the kolo (infant) and Titibiri (adolescent) bed for alms/food.
Almajirci is the activities in which Almajiri (pupils/student) of traditional Qur’anic (schools) get involve during the process of acquiring Qur’anic and Islamic education it is an educational system that is primarily Islamic. According Alkali (2001) Almajira is a some formal system of Qur’anic education in which children mostly boys are sent by their parents to take up residence with Islamic mallams for instruction in the Qur’anic and other Islamic texts. They further explain it is originated from Arabic root word Almuhajirun which means “immigrant” this is an allusion to the time of prophet Muhammad (S.A.W) when the people of Macca migrated to madina. Traditionally children would be sent to places for away from the parent where they would begs for alms or serve in their teachers farms as a means of compensation for their religious education and upbringing.
Ayuba (2009) indicate that Almajirci practice is religiously, legitimad since the prophet (S.A.W) was reported to have advised Muslims to travel in search of knowledge even up to china it is said in a Hadith.
This is the reason why Islamic scholars travel and migrate to different part of the world in search of knowledge with students, but right from the initial stage begging was not a virtue of this practice as the prophet of Islam that brought the Qur’an and knowledge of Islam discourage begging. As the prophet says that: it is better for a believer and cut firewood in the bush and sell than begging.
Ibrahim (2010) observes that Islam encourage people to seek knowledge but does not in any way promote begging or allowing children to be wandering on empty stomachs under guise of searching for Qur’anic education. Now the public introduce Islamiyya schools with conducive environment.
PHILOSOPHY OF ALMAJIRI EDUCATION
One cannot discuss the Almajiri system of education without given reference to the spread of Islam and Islamic scholarship in Nigeria. Islam came into savannah region of
West Africa in the Sannah century A.D. The spread of Islam to Savannah region of West Africa can equally be linked with commercial activities established in the north Africa (Fafunwa, 1974). Trade commerce also pave the way of introduction of the new element of material development with naturally followed the introduction of literacy and for which part of the sudan where they became famous in centuries to come.
Islam was first accepted by the kenem rulers who went on pilgrimage to mecca. They had contact with scholars through correspondence with Tinisia in the magrib and a lot of commercial and intellectual or education development came to exist. Kenem Borno became center of learning where famous scholars form various learning centers came. Islamic schools were modeled after those found in other Muslims countries. The Almajiri system of education in Nigeria particularly here Birnin Kebbi needs reformation with regard to the teachers. This left them poor and uncharted for they mainly depend on charity. The pupils in the Almajiri system of education also ream about begging instructed. The pupils in the system were neglected and exposed to serious economic and social hazard. Which have negative implications on their educational well-being psychological feelings and future expecting. This is based on the following premises.
Liberal (Western philosophy of education within the concept of modern type of education is socialistic and individualist. This is because modern liberalism is predicted on an assumed. Connection between freedom, reason and morality, (Jonathan, 1995; 49) Islamic philosophy of education on the other hand, is rested on a relationship between belief faith and the Kano. They were the tanners and shoe and bags maker in the old Sokoto empire. The cap weavers and toilors in Zaria city were said to be Almajiris.
Muhammad (2010) explained that many people criticize and condemn the system, of Almajiri education due to some problems associated with it. The condemnation is not in relation to they type of knowledge received by the pupils but due to some identified problems in it which include:
Inadequate provision of feeding: The almajiri migrates without adequate provision for feeding, clothing, shelter, and essential human needs.
Over population
Lack of payment of salary
Age: Pupils in Almajiri system of education are under assed.
Method of discipline: The method of discipline in Almajiri school is not help in changing the pupils for better.
Also Sule (2002) Lamented that in Northern Nigeria the problems of Almajiri were manifested in various forms of social explosion like.
Mai-tatsine crisis
Yan daba phenomenon
Area boys
Y’an Kaukar Amarya incidences
Boko Haram.
He continues to say that Almajirci became a perfect excuse for some parents to reduce the burden of rearing children and that the almajiri phenomenon proided the grounds for recruitment of masses of muslims children into all sorts of anti-social activities, mostly turned into beggars hawkers and wanderers. The almajiri were made to live in sorry state of learning and most of them live in condition of poor health mal-nutrition and squalor.
PROBLEMS OF ALMAJIRI EDUCATION
The goal of the system of education as they are from original content the recent practice has change to shallow are not aimed training them for specific skills or trade poor academic environment, absolute curriculum over population, unqualified learning materials are some problem Muhammad (2001:5) stated the following as some the evils associated with the system.
The waste of human resources to the fact the future of many of them is permanently ruined. It exposes the children to various vices and criminals activities with detrimental consequence to the society. There are no defined policies in the curriculum.
Pupils under the Qur’anic education every learner must learn at his own state. Similarly the system trains the student to be able to face the challenges of life. This achieved by introducing the children to search of food for his survival even at early age, but according to one of the researchers criticized the system as follows:
Pupils of Qur’anic school find it difficult to get employment after living school since the country favoured western type of education. The teachers have no job and security since has no salary and they only depend of charity from the parent of his pupils.
While the other researcher has agreed with what the researcher state above. This is according to Idris and Abdulqadir (2003) stress that the almajiri system of education as practice today in Nigeria is a complexly bastardized system compared to the form and condition under which the system was operating, and its output during the pre-colonial period. The system has been face, especially with the coming of the British, it present pitiful state; during the pre-colonial era, begging of was never attached and also the pupils were not involved of doing such kind of jobs before they could eat.
On the other hand, Galadanci (1993;01) brings out his opinion than Qur’anic school his existed since pre-colonial times, and vocational majority of the scholars who wrote on the Qur’anic schools did not give attention to the Almajiri types of school. fafunwa (1974) informed us about the age of entry; the place where education takes place; the type of knowledge and skills imparted in detail.
Similarly, Mukhtar (1996) paid more attention to informed Minzamiyya school type and the problems it faced; which included among others; lack of skilled teachers, lack of encouragement from the community, lack of facilities and insufficient fund.
REVIEW OF ELETED EMPIRICAL STUDIES
The Almajiri system of education exist since the time of Prophet (S.A.W) different scholars from different field of studies have wrote many project articles and comment on Almajiri system of education, Auwal (1992) thus “Almajiri” is used to refer to the entire social institution of migrant Islamic scholars or the state of being an almajiri (student). A Qur’anic school refers to a non formal and less structural type of Islamic educational institution commonly referred to a Makarantar Allo or Tsangaya Auwal (1992).
There are some review of related empirical studies on Almajiri.
System of Education
Professor Idris A. Abulkadir 9/10/2015 during 21st convocation lecture on Almajiri system of education in Nigeria describe Almajiri system of education in Nigeria as incomplete system he add that there is no provision for the system he called on federal government to provide enough budget for the system under ministry of education.
Uren Majau 2013 tk. Almajiri system: silent child abuse in Northern Nigeria he described Almajiri system of education as illegal Islamic education system especially in this time where traffic everyday around towns in Northern Nigeria. Because finally the children win end up in the street.
Leadership News Nig/344016/fgs-almajir a Feb 2014-The Almajiri system of education is the federal government Almajiri system of education working? The articles described federal governments Almajiri system of education as politics is not working smoothly.
Almajiri education programme in Nigeria. (USA, UNESCO) 2012 described system as unprepared they promise to contribute in the system to boost the Almajiri system of education.
Alamin (1987) Present articles in the articles he tarced the challenges of Almajiri system of education, poverty and lack of awareness are the reasons why some percent send their children for begging.
The National commission for mass literary adult and non- formal educational and unicelf initiative. The national commission for mass literacy Adult and non-formal education (NMEC) in collaboration with unicief commenced Qur’anic schools integration programme in ten states in 1998 (bauchi, Gombe, Jigawa, Kano, Katsina, Kebbi, Sokoto, Taraba, Yobe, and Zamfara) using non- formal education approach.
National council on education (NCE) at Enugu in 2001. There were 584 Qur’anic schools with 78,463 learners enrolled in the programme in the ten states C51, 028 males and 27,435 females Oyin Lola, 2005).
Universal Basic education (UBE) initiative plan to integrate certain basic element of UBE programme into Qur’anic schools in 2002. The aims UBEC Qur’anic integration were: examples.
To integrate elements of basic education into Qur’anic schools without interfering with goals of the Qur’anic school system with a view to improving the learners capacities.
The Northern Educational Research
Project (NERP) Arewa House initiative in collaboration with the Educaitonal trust fund (RTF) initiate Qur’anic/tsangaya schools integration programme. A survey of Qur’anic schools in three Northern states were conducted (Borno, Kano, and Sokoto). Dukku 2005. When we look all the article, comment programmes organized to solve the Almajiri system of education in Nigeria or to integrate it with conventional education still there are many challenges facing the Almajirin system of education due to their population and carelessness of the federal government, traditional rulers and parents of the children.
SUMMARY AND UNIQUENESS OF STUDY
Almajiri education system is important and basic to every Muslim in the world. In this system of elarning, it based on two main objectives, the intellectual and mroal training of pupils. The intellectual objectives are restricted to exposed them to reading and writing of the Qur’an. The second objectives of the Almajiri system of education is provision of moral development of the pupils which include teaching of good habit and manners.
Apart from being responsible for the literacy of hundreds of millions of our children over a span of the countries more importantly, the Almajiri system is the only turies more importantly, The almajiri system is the only one day known is the Muslim world that retained the reproduction of the Qur’an in writing direct memory without looking at any copy. An alaramma studiously write entire Qur’an portion by portion, chapter by chapter, verse by verse, beginning with all its consonants, then he return to add all its vowels, then its full stops and commas, dilations and nunnation, and so many little things that vary from page to page. He does all these without single mistakes and despite abundant minute differences in many verses or portion that appear similar, yet Usman Taha can only place a copy of the Qur’an and copy from it one word after another. But Nigerian Alammas who reproduces it direct from his memory may not even be sure of next meal, but never bothered since he is used already to such hardship his early days as Balla-kollo, Tittibiri or Gardi.