40 almajiri children graduate from skills acquisition training in Kaduna

Up to 40 almajiri children have graduated from the Almajiri Education Reforms and Skills Acquisition Training Project, an initiative by the Sir Ahmadu Bello Memorial Foundation in collaboration with the MacArthur Foundation.

Speaking at the graduation ceremony in Kaduna, the Director of Finance at the Sardauna Memorial Foundation, Haruna Muhammad Jumare, described the event as a major milestone in efforts to reform the almajiri education system in Northern Nigeria.

“This program embodies the vision of the late Sir Ahmadu Bello, the Sardauna of Sokoto, who believed in the power of education and skills development to transform lives,” he said.

He commended the graduates for their dedication and perseverance, urging them to use their newly acquired skills to become self-reliant and contribute positively to society.

In his remarks, the representative of the Kaduna State Commissioner of Education, Malam Abbas Shehu, who is the Deputy Director of Planning in the ministry, thanked the MacArthur and Sardauna Foundations for their efforts in engaging children through vocational and formal education.

He revealed that the Kaduna state government is planning to establish Tsangaya schools in four local government areas to integrate both Islamic and Western education. He called on Islamic clerics to spread awareness about the initiative, noting that it would provide employment opportunities for teachers.

The Chairman of the occasion, Alhaji Ibrahim Lawal Kankia, who represented the Board of Trustees of the Sir Ahmadu Bello Memorial Foundation, said 40 children had been trained in various skills, with five of them enrolled in primary school.

“We will select 20 of them to further their education at Kaduna Polytechnic, while efforts will be made to empower the remaining beneficiaries,” he said, emphasising the need for continuous support to prevent them from returning to the streets.

The Director General of the Sardauna Memorial Foundation, Engr. Abubakar Gambo, disclosed that the beneficiaries were trained in tailoring, cloth designing, electrical work, and cap sewing. 

He called for more support to expand the programme, noting that the graduates would eventually train others.

Also speaking, the Director of the MacArthur Foundation, Kole Shettima, urged well-meaning northerners to support the initiative, stressing that collective effort was necessary for the transformation of the region.