Learning, Learner Rights in Nigeria, and the Katsina Edict on Almajiri Education

Abstract:Scholars are increasingly concerned about the global learning crisis, which is often measured by the number of In-School Children (ISC) as against the Out-of-School Children (OOSC). However, both contribute to the crisis. Consequently, school-aged children in the Almajiri system are characterized as OOSC. Interestingly, Nigeria has the largest number of such children in Africa. Following the clamor for reforms in the Almajiri system, the Government of Katsina State of Nigeria issued in 2019 an instrument called the “Responsible Parenting Almajiri Rights Edict.” This paper attempts to evaluate the learning and learner rights components of the instrument. The study combines the historical method, observation, and document analysis, with the constructivist paradigm as philosophical basis. Findings reveal that the edict fails to contextualize into the Katsina setting some of the most salient components of the Nigeria Child’s Rights Act and of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child.