Practices of the Regular School System that Exclude Almajirai from the Benefits of Basic Education

Abstract

Declarations made at Jomtien, Dakar and in the Millennium Development Goals (MDG) have committed nations of the world to universalizing access to quality basic education for all. It is against this background that this paper examines the difficulties pupils of Qur'anic schools (almajirai) may face as attempts are made to fit them into the existing structures of regular schools. Presently, Qur'anic schools are quite inadequate in meeting the basic education needs of a growing child. Their flexibility to local conditions, low cost and religious value have attracted a large number of school-age children to them. To expand the benefits of modern education to these children, the Education for All (EFA) and Universal Basic Education (UBE) campaigns are experimenting with various strategies to integrate these schools into the UBE. In its contribution to this arrangement, this paper highlights elements of the current structure of the formal school system that are incongruous with the demographics of Qur'anic schools and their clients. These areas of mismatch need to be addressed so that whatever arrangement is made for the “Almajirai” does not compound existing practices that exclude them from basic education.