The Kebbi State Government says it is streamlining the Almajiri system of education in the state to conform with the formal system of education.
The Commissioner, Ministry for Religious Affairs, Alhaji Muhamad Sani-Aliyu, disclosed this at a weekly ministerial briefing held in Birnin Kebbi on Monday.
Ministry of Religious Affairs is a new ministry created by the present Kauran Gwandu led-administration with a view to reducing moral decadence, youth waywardness, social vices and crimes through moral education and counselling in liaison with relevant government’s agencies.
He identified “Almajiri Integrated Education” as a unit under the ministry saddled with the responsibility of regulating conduct of Almajiri training, streamlining concept of Almajiri education and improve on Almajiri system of education.
“The unit is carrying out a demography of Islamiyya and Almajiri Schools to identify age and number of pupils, their various origins, parents and their living condition for appropriate actions,” he said.
Sani-Aliyu explained that the ministry had created Zakkat, Preaching and Hisbah Boards for effective and efficient operations, adding that Islam charged leaders with the responsibility of collecting Zakkat from the rich and distributing it to the poor, the needy and other identified group of persons.
He added that between May 2023 to date, about 23,543 mentally related cases patients received treatment and medications at the Zauro Psychiatric Medical Outreach.
Talking about partnership, the commissioner said, the ministry had facilitated the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between Kebbi State Government and Qatar Foundation, where over 200 locations had been identified for the construction of boreholes and other social amenities.
To cushion the effects of the present hardship being experienced, Sani-Aliyu said the state government under the ministry had intervened in different ramifications, ranging from pre-Ramadan, Ramadan and post-Ramadan packages.
This according to him, include; distribution of grains to the public by the office of Secretary to the State Government (SSG) and the state ministry of agriculture, Ramadan feeding at designated Mosque across the state “which is targeting 11,400 persons per day,” Vulnerable Groups Ramadan Intervention targeting 14,000 families and mid Ramadan grains intervention amongst others.
