Abstract
This study investigated the socio-cultural factors affecting integration into the formal education system in Katsina State, Nigeria. Descriptive survey design was adopted for this study. There were 653 Almajiris purposively selected from twelve Almajiris schools in Katsina State. A researcher-designed questionnaire titled: ‘‘Almajiris socio-cultural factors questionnaire’’ (ASCFQ) with test-retest reliability coefficient of 0.88 was used to collect data for the study. Analysis of data was carried out using frequencies and percentages. Findings revealed that most parents abandon their children in these informal Arabic schools. Most Almajiris (603, that is 92.3%) responded that their Mallams (Teachers) do not feed them. Therefore, the only means of survival is through begging and doing menial jobs. Based on these findings, it is recommended that all the identified socio-economic factors affecting the integration of Almajiris into the formal education system should be addressed by the government. This can be done through public enlightenment campaigns and provision of incentives.
Highlights
Education is the right of every child in Nigeria and it is a means of transforming an individual’s life and potentials so that he or she can be useful for himself and the society
This study empirically investigated the socio-cultural factors affecting the integration of Almajiris into the formal education system in Katsina State, Nigeria
The study investigated the socio-cultural factors affecting the integration of Almajiris into the formal education system in Katsina State, Nigeria
Summary
Education is the right of every child in Nigeria and it is a means of transforming an individual’s life and potentials so that he or she can be useful for himself and the society. The formal education is different from education received by Almajiris (Out-of–school children in informal Arabic Schools) from their Mallams (Teachers). The issue of Almajiris has become an embarrassment to many people in the Northern part of Nigeria and to the entire nation. It has become a menace in Nigeria and needs urgent and serious attention. Almajiri education is a practice that President Jonathan described as ‘dangerous to national development’. Almajiri tradition has been a prominent topic in most national discourse [1]; it is a worrisome situation that needs urgent attention and lasting solution for the nation to develop educationally, economically, socially, morally and technologically
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