First Lady Tinubu Announces Plan To Remodel Almajiri Education System With Qatar Foundation Support
Oluremi Tinubu: Nigeria to Reform Almajiri Education Model as Qatar Foundation Pledges Support for Out-of-School Children
Nigeria’s First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, has announced that the Federal Government is set to reform the Almajiri education system to better integrate Islamic and formal learning.
Speaking in Doha during a meeting with Sheikha Moza bint Nasser Al-Missned, founder of the Qatar Foundation, Mrs. Tinubu said the initiative aims to create a modern and inclusive model for Almajiri schools that provides children with quality education, vocational skills, and a safe living environment.
According to a statement released on Monday by her media aide, Busola Kukoyi, the First Lady explained that the restructured Almajiri schools would include mosques for worship, boarding facilities for students, and residences for Imams and caregivers. She emphasized that this holistic approach would protect children from exploitation while equipping them with life skills and education to help them become productive members of society.
“Given the scale of this challenge and the competing demands on our national resources, Nigeria cannot do it alone,” Mrs. Tinubu said. “We need strategic partners—and Your Highness represents precisely the kind of visionary ally who can help make this dream a reality.”
She also commended Sheikha Moza for her global contributions to education, particularly through the Qatar Foundation’s establishment of Education City, which houses over 40 schools, universities, and the Qatar National Library.
“I am deeply inspired by your achievement in enrolling more than 10 million marginalized children in school,” she added. “Your work reinforces our belief that change is possible, and we hope to draw from your experience to support our own efforts.”
In her response, Sheikha Moza pledged the Qatar Foundation’s commitment to supporting Nigeria’s Almajiri and out-of-school children education programs. She affirmed that the foundation would collaborate with Nigeria’s Ministry of Education, particularly in training teachers and administrators to ensure the success of the new system.
Earlier, Mrs. Tinubu toured the Qatar Foundation headquarters, guided by its CEO, Yousif Al Na’am, where she was briefed on the foundation’s educational initiatives. She also learned that 41 Nigerians have graduated from Mohammed bin Khalifa University, one of the institutions supported by the foundation.
The First Lady was accompanied on the visit by the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Muhammad Ali Pate; Minister of State for Education, Prof. Suwaiba Ahmed; and the Executive Secretary of the National Commission for Almajiri and Out-of-School Children Education, Dr. Muhammad Sani Idris.