The Executive Secretary of TET Fund, Prof. Mamood Yakubu, has said that the? federal government has earmarked N5bn? for 10 boarding and five day schools for Almajiri education.
Yakubu, who stated this in Kaduna yesterday, added that the amount was? part of the federal government’s effort to tackle the issue of illiteracy especially in the North- West geo-political zone of the country.
The almajiris, who are about 9.5 million in the North ,? are expected to enroll into the model schools with the assistance of the state and local governments as the federal government has decided to combine the Islamic mode of education with that of the Western Education? to make the model schools more attractive.
Yakubu also disclosed that the federal government,? apart from providing funds for the construction, equipping, and furnishing the schools,? would? also design the curriculum to be used, text books, and buildings for the teachers that would? teach in the schools.
He said state governments would construct the schools based on the funds they receive from the federal government.
He also said? that the state governments would ensure that necessary arrangements are put in place for the? uniforms, feeding,? recruitment of? teachers and pay renumerations and maintenance of the schools from vandalisation.
He said, ‘The states will be responsible after commissioning and handing over. They are expected to go beyond the federal government and provide more schools to take many almajiris off the streets’.
He revealed that the model schools in Sokoto State had? gulped? N240million? from construction to finish and are fully equipped with library, hostels, cafeteria, language laboratory, ICT centre, primary science laboratory and technical and vocational workshop.
The programme, which covers all the 19 states in the North, with the exception of? Plateau State,? will use the language of communication in the locality to teach the pupils in the first three years of the programme before introducing English as this will encourage parents to release their children for education.