Out-Of-School Children: Bauchi To Integrate Traditional Islamic To Western Education

The Bauchi State Government has taken an initiative to combine the traditional Islamiyya and Tsangaya school curriculum with the mainstream Western education system.

The government has inaugurated a technical committee to integrate the two systems of education.

Speaking at the inauguration ceremony in Bauchi on Wednesday, the Commissioner for Education, Dr. Muhammed Lawal, said the initiative was aimed at addressing the challenge of out-of-school children in the state.

“We want to ensure that children in these schools receive formal education alongside Islamic teachings. It is time to incorporate Western education into their learning process,” he said.

Lawal also stated that the move aligned with the Federal Government’s new structures for integrating non-formal education into the mainstream system for better management.

Speaking on the responsibilities of the committee, the education commissioner explained that it include overseeing the proper implementation of guidelines for this integration and ensuring that it is effectively adopted in the curriculum.

He stated further that the committee will ensure accurate data collection on student enrollment in the state’s annual school census.

The commissioner urged parents and guardians to take advantage of the government’s investment in education by enrolling their children in school.

“Our goal is to bring every child back to the classroom — whether through Islamiyya or Western education — while ensuring that Western education is integrated into Islamiyya schools,” he reiterated.

Also speaking, Chairman of the Bauchi State House of Assembly’s Committee on Education, Mr. Nasir Ala, commended the initiative, describing it as a significant step forward.

“I am personally excited about this development. On November 18, 2024, I presented a motion in the House of Assembly advocating for the remodeling of Quranic and Tsangaya schools to include foundational literacy, numeracy, and vocational training. It received unanimous support from my colleagues,” he said.

He stressed the importance of officially acknowledging the Tsangaya and Quranic school system within the Western education framework.

“In other parts of West and North Africa, Islamic education is integrated with Western learning. However, here in Nigeria, the failure to accommodate traditional Tsangaya and Quranic schools in our formal education system has led to the perception that their pupils are simply out-of-school children,” he said.

Out-Of-School Children: Bauchi To Integrate Traditional Islamic To Western Education is first published on The Whistler Newspaper