By Usman Abubakar Maiduguri
Borno State government has approved the provision of one square meal to parents and students in high Islamic colleges and schools with low enrollment across the terror-troubled 9-LGAs in Northern Borno senatorial district as a method of spiking enrollment there.
“We will approve stipends of N250,000 for their fathers and N50,000 for each of their mothers,” Governor Babagana Zulum, announced this decision while inaugurating the 48-classroom Higher Islamic College, Gajiganna, Maghumeri LGA, Northern Borno.
“For the students themselves, we are setting aside N50,000 each, which will provide them with financial support for their essential needs,” he said.
Zulum said the decision is one of the measures aimed at establishing a deliberate to promote education in northern Borno.
This (Northern Borno) is the only region in Borno State that has not been developed in terms of education,” he said, reasoning, So, both the secondary and primary education boards chairmen are here.”
The governor charged them to put more emphasis on Northern Borno State n terms of primary and secondary education development, lamenting, “You can see a situation whereby in this town with a total population of about 50,000 people, only 90 students were enrolled in a secondary school.”
He, therefore, decided, “We must support the parents of these 90 students from towns like Gajiganna,” stressing, “It is imperative to ensure that these 90 students complete their studies, it would represent significant progress.”
The Gajiganna Islamic College will blend the traditional Almajiri education system (Sangaya) with the formal education system.
Zulum stressed that about 20 similar colleges had been built in different local government areas to provide Almajirai with basic literacy and vocational skills.
He said: “our goal is clear: to provide our children, especially Sangaya learners, with the knowledge and skills required to thrive in today’s world.
“In pursuit of this, the institutions we are establishing operate under a curriculum approved by the National Board for Arabic and Islamic Studies (NBAIS) which harmoniously blends Islamic scholarship with Science, Mathematics, Technology and Foundational English.
“At the same time, we have remained unwavering in our commitment to revitalising the Sangaya education system—an enduring pillar of Islamic learning that has shaped our society for generations.
“Our reforms have been deliberate and balanced: safeguarding the cherished values of traditional Islamic scholarship while introducing modern subjects and vocational training,” he said.
