Jigawa: Almajiri budget increases from 1.82 to 3.5 billion naira, and a hostile cleric changes his mind

The Nigerian state of Jigawa has increased its budget for the education of almajiri children from 1.82 billion naira in 2025 to 3.5 billion for the 2026 fiscal year, and one of the clerics who had fought the reform is now sending his own students there. This was reported by the Nigerian daily Premium Times in an investigation published on November 1, 2026.

From refusal to acceptance

When former President Goodluck Jonathan launched modern Tsangaya schools in 2012 to educate out-of-school children in northern Nigeria—the almajirai—Alaramma Illiyasu was among the clerics who opposed them, fearing an infringement on Islamic education. He has been running the Janbulo Tsangaya school in the Hadejia constituency for thirty years. After visiting the federal model school in Birniwa, he transferred a large portion of his students. "I was impressed by the learning environment," he told Premium Times, adding: "I am entirely satisfied." He is now demanding additional spots to double his enrollment.

Three components instead of one

The model described by the newspaper combines Quranic recitation, English, mathematics, and basic sciences—as part of the accelerated federal ABEP program—and vocational training: plastering, carpentry, plumbing, electrical installation, sewing, and calligraphy. A partnership with the National Board for Arabic and Islamic Education provides six months of specialized training for the Alarammas, these traditional teachers, and opens up exams for students that lead to a recognized secondary school leaving certificate. Hamisu Adamu, spokesperson for the state's traditional Tsangaya schools, says that students are now acquiring basic numeracy and literacy skills.

What the state is building

The 2024 JISTEB law gave the Jigawa State Tsangaya Education Board legal authority and budgetary autonomy; its executive secretary, Abubakar Hamisu, is leading the reform. Three regional mega-Tsangaya schools have been built and model centers expanded in Dutse, Ringim, and Kafin Hausa, equipped with workshops, mosques, kitchens, clean water, and solar power. The seven model schools inherited from 2012 are set to accommodate more than 7,500 additional children, and sixty community schools spread across thirty constituencies aim to provide access to more than 6,000 children. The stated target exceeds 1.3 million almajiri students.

Figures that highlight the urgency

The State Bureau of Statistics, whose reports Governor Umar Namadi received on October 13, conducted the first comprehensive census of non-formal education in the 27 constituencies: 10,197 centers and 1,116,289 learners. It also establishes that 66% of almajiri depend on community support for their daily meals, that 61.1% of dormitories require major repairs, and that 3.5% are deemed unusable. In the conventional system, the ratio reaches 96 students per teacher in primary schools. "Statistics are not abstract numbers," the governor stated.

The investigation does not feature any parents or independent experts: the voices cited are those of the program officials and the teachers who have joined it. The real test will be seen in the actual enrollment figures at the start of the next school year.