Kano Sets Up 20-Member Committee to Reform Almajiri System

The Kano State Government has inaugurated a 20-member advisory committee on Almajiri education and welfare reform as part of efforts to reposition the Tsangaya system.

The initiative, approved by Governor Abba Yusuf, seeks to develop a sustainable framework for regulating and integrating Tsangaya education while protecting the welfare, dignity and future of children within the system.

The committee is chaired by the Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Abdulkarim Maude, SAN, while the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Finance, Amina Yargaya, serves as secretary.

Its membership includes commissioners for Education and Information, representatives of the Council of Emirs, Sharia Commission, Zakkat Commission and Hisbah Board, as well as education, legal and child-rights stakeholders.

The committee has been tasked with conducting a comprehensive assessment of the existing Tsangaya system and developing regulatory, integration and enforcement frameworks for its reform.

It will also prepare a roadmap for pilot implementation, monitoring and long-term sustainability while examining successful models that could strengthen the system.

The committee is expected to recommend measures to eliminate exploitative practices, strengthen child-protection mechanisms and establish a legal framework for the registration and licensing of Tsangaya schools.

It will further examine sustainable funding and support mechanisms while engaging Qur’anic teachers, parents, religious scholars, traditional rulers and communities in the reform process.

Secretary to the State Government, Umar Ibrahim, said the composition of the committee reflected the seriousness attached to the reform initiative.

Maude, speaking on behalf of the committee, assured the state government that members would carry out their responsibilities diligently and within the laws of Nigeria and Kano State.