Critical Stakeholders at a One-Day Townhall Meeting organised by the Forum for African Women Educationalist (FAWE) Nigeria have brainstormed extensively on the "Tsangaya" System of Education: prospects and challenges.
The townhall meeting on "Tsangaya" was organised by FAWE with a support from PLAN International EU-INTPA Project on "Strengthening Civil Society to Enhance Education for all in Northern Nigeria".
The event attracted relevant stakeholders including Ministry of Education and Human Capital Development, Adamawa State Universal Basic Education Board (ADSUBEB), Muslim Council of Nigeria Adamawa State Chapter, Jama'atul Nasir Islam(JNI), CSACEFA, Youth Groups and Civil Society Organisations among others.
The townhall meeting which was held at the Universal Basic Education Board on Wednesday, provided an ample opportunity where the participants identified several factors affecting Almajiri Education System in Adamawa State and Northern Nigeria in general and made their suggetions on the way forward.
During brainstorming session on the challenges of "Tsangaya", the participants identified lack of integration, political will on the part of government, certification, recognition, poor hygiene, sanitation within the schools, overcrowding and several others as major challenges affecting "Tsangaya".
Others are lack of conducive learning evironment, extreme poverty, insecurity, lamenting that some higher institutions who have "Tsangaya" departments failed to proffer lasting solution on some of the challenges identified.
The stakeholders advised government to take up its responsibilities and review its educational policies as stakeholders on their part to be proactive in addressing challenges confronting "Tsangaya"
Some of the participants were of the view that it is not the teaching that an issue of concern, but a situation whereby some of the pupils are allowed to roam about begging for what to eat.
They used the opportunity and commended FAWE for beaming its searchlights on "Tsangaya" explaining that holding such programmes on the "Tsangaya" will help the system of education tremendously.
Earlier, in his brief overview on the objectives of the event, the Education Officer FAWE Nigeria, Ibrahim Bello, said that the event was organised to strengthen participants as actors of good governance and empower them to contribute to inclusive, participatory and open education policy dialogue in Adamawa and Nigeria as a whole.
Ibrahim added that it is to promote local CSOs, youth, women, and disability grassroots organisations to participate in, advocate for, and monitor the implementation of "Tsangaya" reformation and gender-responsive and inclusive education planning to support positive change in Nigeria.
He appreciated the participants for availing themselves with the opportunity to grace the event and wished them fruitful delibration.
In his presentation, the Principal Iqra Academy, Yola and Deputy Chief Imam Jimeta Central Jumma'at Mosque, Umar Zangina, commended the organisers for hosting the event.
Zangina, who traced the history of "Tsangaya" education, evolution, challenges and prospects, observed that the problems confronting "Tsangaya" are very practical and needed a collective effort towards addressing it.
Also speaking on enabling environment for early childhood development: Protection and Safeguarding Needs, a Lecturer Early Childhood Care and Development Department, Federal College of Education Yola, Yahaya Abdulrasheed, said children are special gifts and needed to be treated in a unique way.
He pointed out that environment must be conducive, safe, secured and friendly embedded with instructional materials for every child to learn.
He identified gender inequality, violence at home, poverty, broken homes, poor mental health, toxic environment among others as factors influencing care givers and by extension the children, and urged the stakeholders to raise up their responsibilities towards addressing them.
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