Kano bans street begging, vows to take erring parents to court

In a bold effort to integrate the Almajiri pupils into the free and compulsory primary and secondary school education programme, Kano State Government has banned street begging in the State.

The State Governor, Dr Abdullahi Umar Ganduje made this known yesterday at the launching of Basic Education Service Delivery for All (BESDA) and Distribution of Offer of Appointment to 7,500 volunteer teachers.

Governor Ganduje, who lamented on the ugly trend of street begging, said “This policy of free and compulsory basic and secondary education goes along with integration of pupils of Almajiri system of education into the mainstream policy implementation which provides that English and Arithmetic must be included in the Almajiri schools curriculum.”

“While they will continue acquiring Qur’anic education, they would as well learn English and Arithmetic. We will give them opportunity to continue with their studies to secondary schools and beyond,” he explains.

Total of 7,500 newly recruited teacher volunteers under the BESDA programme are employed and were given letters of appointment and would be posted Islamiyyah and Almajiri schools, so that the Almajiri schools would be fully integrated under the new policy of education.

The governor further warned that if any Almajiri is caught engaged in street begging, the parent or guardian of such child would be taken to court for disrespecting the law banning the practice.

Minister of Education, Malam Adamu Adamu, represented by a Director in the Ministry, Mrs Liman, commended the state government’s effort, saying that what the state is doing under the new policy is exemplary.