Local

By Uzair Adam Imam 

Many people reacted with shock over a viral video showing an eight-year-old Almajiri beaten mercilessly by his ‘Tsangaya’ Quranic teacher.

The Daily Reality gathered that punishment was due to the kid’s failure to bring food to the teacher, which is an age-old practice in many Tsangaya schools.

A source told our correspondent that the kid was found roaming the street after running away from the school.

The source added that a relative brought the victim to Kano from Magamar Gumau Local Government Area of Bauchi State for Qur’anic studies after his mother’s demise.

“I don’t want to go back to the school. The teacher will kill me. I want to return to my father,” said the kid.

Begging outlawed in Kano

Kano State is becoming a haven for beggars, despite the state government’s ban on street begging and subsequent measures the government to enforce the order.

In 2019, the Ganduje administration banned street begging, introducing new approaches to improving the education of the almajiri system.

In a statement, the Chief Press Secretary to Governor Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, Malam Abba Anwar, said the effort was to consolidate the free and compulsory primary and secondary education fully.

“If an Almijiri teacher thinks he cannot accept the new policy, he has to leave the state. 

“When Almajiri are caught begging, it is not only that beggar is caught but also his parents or guardians. Such parents or guardians would be taken to court to face the wrath of the law,” the governor threatened,” the statement said.

But despite the ban, street begging has held to its position in the state, as beggars are still on the state’s streets. 

Citizens blame government 

Some people blame the government for not consolidating its position of improving the  Almajiri education system to mitigate the menace of bagging in the state.

A former president of Foundation Against Child Abuse, Abdulmalik Shu’aibu Sani, blamed the government for playing politics with the menace. 

Abdulmalik Shu’aibu said, “Government decides to play politics in handling this issue. If the government had actually banned or changed the Almajiri education system in the state, this boy wouldn’t have been beaten like a slave.”

“I believe this will surely be a joyous and celebratory idea if the government could implement the new system or at least tax parents to pay for school fees. With that money, their children will be fed.”

Amina Shu’aibu said, “I know the government will not do this. Anything about it is political.”

Some concerned citizens described the punishment as disheartening, stating that the system is not what it used to be.

Abdulmalik Shu’aibu Sani said such heartless people should be brought before the law to reap what they sow while calling on the government to take action.

He lamented that the kid was too small for that brutal beating, saying he could not take responsibility for himself and his teacher. 

Adam Zahraddeen, one of the active members of the Almajiri Foundation in the state, said that in the past, Almajiri parents paid a certain amount of money and “that money will be used to feed his child by the Malam.

“It is heart-touching to see such forsaken small kids wandering on streets searching for what to eat. 

“The government should by now end the Almajiri system of education and rethink how to reform the system. 

Amina Adamu, who said she almost cried on watching the video, stated that she felt sorry for the boy.

She said, “Seeing the picture of this boy in this situation, I feel bad, sad, and sorry for the kid. He looks so pathetic. I feel like no matter what this boy has done, he doesn’t deserve to be beaten mercilessly like this.”

We are not heartless 

Auwal Ilyas, one of the senior students at an Almajiri school in the state, said what happened was entirely contrary to what is obtainable in the system. 

He stated, “The person who did this beating was very wrong. I believe a true teacher who answers his name will not do the same. So it must be a gardi (a senior Almajiri) that committed such a pathetic and regretful thing. I know gardi used to ask for food but not Malam.

“How will a teacher ask this very small kid to bring him food? In our school, our teacher, my father, take responsibility for any Almajiri. Malam provides two square meals for them, breakfast and lunch,” Auwalu added.

By Uzair Adam Imam

Marriage break-up is perceived as one of the major challenges bedevilling relationships in Kano State, a development that leaves a severe psychological impact on the windows. A report by the BBC Network African Programme in collaboration with the Kano State disclosed that there were over one million divorcées in the state.

The research disclosed that 32% of marriages in Kano State survives only a period of three to six months; and that many young people between the age of 20-25 years are said to have gone through three marriages at least.

The Executive Director National Association of Divorcees/Widows and Orphans, Hajiya Altine Abdullahi, decried the rate of divorce in the state. She had once threatened to protest the menace. This menacing issue of marriage break-up has continued to witness a steep increment in Kano State more recently, making it a serious problem needing mitigation.

The Daily Reality had reported materialism as one of the contributing factors militating against marriages these days.

Divorce, how abrupt it occurs

As though a competition, many husbands partake in the race for divorce. The issue has now graduated to a national problem in dire need of mitigation.

A photographer, Aminu A. Gambo, recounted the harrowing tale of how a one-week-old marriage crashed.

He said, “I once covered a wedding. The wedding took us almost a week, as they started the events from Tuesday throughout Thursday the following week and had a break on Friday.

“The events continued on Saturday and Sunday was wedding Fatiha, which concluded with conveyance of bride late evening that day.

“In the subsequent week, on a fateful Wednesday, the groom called me as early as 6 am and told me to calculate my balance and send my account number. As I did, he then transferred the amount to my account and told me that their marriage was no more,” he stated.

Also, Abubakar Umar confided in our reporter that he was rather perplexed on hearing that the marriage he attended just a week ago had broken up.

Umar said the marriage had broken up even before some relatives who attended the wedding from far places returned to their various destinations.

He added, “it came to me as a surprise that a week-old marriage had broken up just abruptly like this despite the bond between the couple.”

Understanding the root cause

Many concerned citizens argued that there are no tangible reasons behind the increased marriage dissolution.

Hashim Ibrahim described the menacing issue as a problematic phenomenon that defies every explanation.

He said, “The problem is that what triggers Mr A to divorce his wife might not be the same reason for Mr B to end his marriage.”

Muhammad Tasi’u stated that: “There are only two things that lead to the marriage breaking up; the exaltation of men and the ignorance of women.”

Aisha Mujitaba looked at the issue from a different angle, saying guys pretend to be rich in order to woo girls.

“Nowadays, both loves and marriages are based on materialism; that is how equivocation and deception have chipped in in the process of getting married.

“Guys pretend to be wealthy in order to win girls’ hearts. Consequently, when they are joined in matrimony, the true nature of what the person is will be revealed. This leads to the breakdown of relationships,” Aisha said.

Fatima Sha’aibu also believed that lying was one of the contributing factors leading to the marriage break up.

She said, “Mostly guys lie to win affections. Then after the marriage, when the truth was revealed, the girl might feel she can’t resist living with a life-faking husband.”

By Aminu Naganye

United Nations Information Centre (UNIC) Lagos, in collaboration with Media Awareness and Information for All Networks (MAIN), has organised a two-day workshop for journalists in Kano on mainstreaming Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) into their routine journalistic activities.

The programme tagged “Training Journalists on Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and developing a Network of Sustainable Development Journalists” took place at the Kano State Library from Monday, March 21, to Tuesday, March 22, 2022. The event is a part of training for journalists across the six geopolitical zones of Nigeria on how to mainstream the SDGs into their professional engagements.

UNIC Director, Mr Ronald Kayanja, noted that the training was to expose the journalists to the key issues of the SDGs and how they can contribute their part toward achieving the 2030 sustainable development agenda.

Mr Kayanja, who was represented by Dr Oluseyi Soremekun, stressed the need for partnership and collaboration among all stakeholders toward achieving the SDGs at the stipulated time.

On his part, the Chairman of the occasion, Professor Lai Oso, said the objective of the training was to acquaint the participants with social, economic and environmental dimensions in reporting issues related to sustainable development. 

He said sustainable journalism should be people-centred and geared toward proffering solutions to identified societal challenges.

Head Technical, Office of the Senior Special Assistant to the President on SDGs, Dr Bala Yunusa, who was represented by Dr Zakariyya Mohammed, explained Nigeria’s progress and challenges in implementing the SDGs in Nigeria and called on the media personnel to remain supportive to achieving the SDGs and Nigerian Agenda 2050.

Dr Yunusa noted that Nigeria has recorded successes in the previous MDGs and is now determined to achieve more with the SDGs.

At least 50 journalists drawn from traditional media of radio, television, newspaper, and online-based news media participated in the workshop.

The participants were decorated with emblems as champions of the SDGs.

By Professor Salisu Shehu

The impact that teachers make on students vary in type, magnitude and degree. And as well, they differ in the way and manner they influence students. While to a great extent students unconsciously internalise/emulate certain manners, characters and styles of their teachers, in some cases that is done consciously and deliberately too. This is the fact that I am obliged to reveal as I pay tribute to my teacher and mentor all through my teaching career in the university. In other words, I am hereby proclaiming to the World that Professor Maiwada not only taught me, but he was in the top rank of my mentors and role models.

Professor Maiwada taught me Educational Psychology, Research Methods and Statistics in my second and third years of undergraduate studies and again he taught me the same courses at my master’s degree level. Indeed it was Professr Maiwada that made me love Educational Psychology and influenced me to eventually specialise in it.

I so much admired Professor Maiwada’s style of teaching. Once he enters the lecture room/theatre, after the usual greetings and courtesies between the lecturer and students, he would turn to the board (black as it was then) and write the topic and the outline of his lecture. He would then take students through the outline (sub-topics) to the end. His writing on the board and on paper was not only clear and legible but quite neat and beautiful. It would be difficult to hear students complaining that they did not understand Professor MAIWADA’S lecture. This is a style of instruction that I consciously and deliberately adopted up to this moment.

More importantly, my intellectual debut and voyage into the ISLAMIZATION OF KNOWLEDGE paradigm and school of thought were principally owed to the influence of Professor Maiwada. Two other teachers of mine that also influenced me in this regard are the late Dr. Musa Ahmed and Professor Aliyu Dauda. It was however, Professor Maiwada that really mentored me in this regard. When I wrote my M. ED Dissertation on: “A Study of the Islamic Perspective of Cognitive Development: Implications for Education”, supervised by the late Dr. Musa Ahmed, Professor Maiwada was indeed my defacto supervisor. He painstakingly read every single line of my work, meticulously corrected and advised me appropriately and where necessary.

Although, he surely had clear mastery of his subject matter of instruction, Professor Maiwada would never brag in the classroom or even try to make a show of it. He would, however, in his typical soft spoken manner, deliver his lecture with pedagogical effectiveness and mastery.

Professor Maiwada was not just a role model in the classroom. His entire teaching life presents an exemplary disposition of academic discipline, rigour and intellectual adeptness. Once he comes to the faculty he would either be in the class teaching or in the office going through students’ projects, dissertations and theses. He was never given to petty talks or sundry gossips. As he made his way to the office he would greet and answer greetings with a dint of politeness and humbleness. He was one of our older Professors that never sent their pens on leave. Not surprisingly, he was prolific up to the time of his retirement churning out papers and editing journal articles and book chapters and returning them within stipulated times. It was very rare if not impossible to hear any student complaining that Professor Maiwada had held his (project, dissertation or thesis) chapter beyond reasonable time without returning it read, improved, or corrected.

Though he was obviously apolitical, but destiny conferred on him the privilege of holding almost all academic/administrative positions of leadership in the university. Across three different universities (Bayero University, Kano, Al-Qalam University, Katsina and Northwest University – now Yusuf Maitama Sule University, Kano) the Katsina-born Professor was a Head of Department, a Dean, a Deputy Vice-Chancellor and a Vice-Chancellor without having to contest at any given time. For the records, he was the Pioneer Vice Chancellor of Al-Qalam University, Katsina. At two different times of leadership interregnum he acted as a Vice-Chancellor in both Bayero University, Kano and Yusuf Maitama Sule University respectively.

As the academic trail blazer that he was he presented, to my mind, the first ever valedictory lecture at the point of his retirement just last month before the commencement of the ASUU strike. Unknown to us all, he was only having barely a month and some weeks to his grave.

He purposely called to tell me about the lecture and the date that was scheduled. I missed it and out of respect and adoration I called to apologise. He told me that it did not hold but was postponed. When the second date was fixed he again called. I made it a point to attend. But as destiny would have it, I got an appointment of visa interview in Lagos on the same date. So I did miss it. I could not call to apologise again out of shyness.

It was only a few days ago I heard of his sickness. I could not even visit him in the hospital because I was out of Kano for a couple of weeks. I just got the shocking news of his death. It was such a tragic loss to the Ummah and indeed to the the academia and Bayero University, Kano.

May I use this medium to condole his immediate family, the Departments of Education and Special Education, the Faculty of Education and the Vice – Chancellor, Professor Sagir Adamu Abbas. Incidentally we were both his students, although not in the same class.

“Of the believers are men who are true to that which they covenanted with Allah. Some of them have paid their vow by death (in battle), and some of them still are waiting; and they have not altered in the least”. Suratul Ahzab, verse 23.

May Allah, al-Ghafur, al-Raheem forgive him and shower His Infinite Mercy on him. May He give us the fortitude to bear the loss.

By Tijjani Muhammad Musa

On a Friday, Tilden Fulani in Toro Local Government of Bauchi State witnessed something unique and rare in the marriage nikah of 18 years old Muhammad Ahmad Salihu and his bride Sumayyah Adam Ibrahim who is just 16!

According to our sources, the event which took place at the Ahlussunnah Wal Jama’a Izala Central Mosque of Tilden Fulani town was conducted in peaceful, exciting celebrations and fanfare.

With the Muslim Fulani lot of Northern Nigeria, it is a common thing to marry young. Marriage is often the preferred option once love and mutual understanding are arrived at rather than engage in illicit sex outside matrimony.

“And marry the unmarried among you and the righteous among your male slaves and female slaves. If they should be poor, Allah will enrich them from His bounty, and Allah is all-Encompassing and Knowing.” [Qur’an, 24:32]

The Messenger of Allah (SAW) said: ‘O young men, whoever among you can afford it, let him get married, for it is more effective in lowering the gaze and guarding chastity, and whoever cannot then he should fast, for it will be a restraint (wija’) for him.’ [Sunan an-Nasa’i, 3209]

So a sincere and hearty congratulations to the Ango (groom) and his Amarsu (bride). May Allaah SWT bless this early nuptial union. May He grant them peace and bless them with blissful offsprings and means of daily sustenance, amin.

By Nabeela Usman El-Nafaty

The 5th set of the beneficiaries of the Women Empowerment Program under the Zakah and Waqf Foundation, Gombe, have undergone a semi-final graduation ceremony on Sunday, March 13, 2022. The main graduation ceremony and inauguration of the new empowered (6th Set) is expected to hold after Ramadan.  

The beneficiaries who were inaugurated on February 14, 2021, numbering 88, were each given N10000 start-up capital. Those who reached the finish line were about 40. The ceremony had the attendance of the Chairman of the Foundation, the Heads of Women Empowerment, Education and Training, and the Chairperson of Wadata Multipurpose Cooperative Society (WAMCOS), among others. 

Malama Maryam Yaya, the Head of Women Empowerment, gave the welcome speech. She thanked the beneficiaries for their doggedness in completing a full year of biweekly meetings, savings and enlightenment, as they saved close to N1,200,000 since February 28, 2021.

The Chairman of the occasion, Vice-Chairperson of the Foundation, QS Ahmad M. Kabir, prayed for the Foundation and thanked its head for her tireless efforts to keep the program alive and functioning.

The VC’s speech was followed by the keynote address by the Chairman of the Foundation, Ameer Abdullahi Abubakar Lamido. He gave a detailed speech about the next level of their empowerment, including joining the WADATA Women Cooperative Society.

The Chairperson of WAMCOS, Malama Hanne Abdullahi, was the next on the podium where she welcomed the successful beneficiaries into WAMCOS. She emphasized the need to come to monthly meetings and make monthly savings regularly. She also introduced to them the idea for ‘special savings’, which is usually for long-term plans like the wedding of a daughter, registration fee of kids, hajj savings etc. 

The event’s highlights were feedback from the beneficiaries about how the Empowerment Program benefitted them in ways beyond measure. One of the beneficiaries, Kulu Muhammad, from Tudun Wada of Gombe, said that the programme was “like a person on a standstill in total darkness, and then someone comes with torchlight and shows him the way out of the darkness.

Another highlight of the event was the presentation of gifts to the most outstanding beneficiaries in performance, determination, frequent attendance to meetings, and savings. 

The beneficiaries were allowed to come and pick from items of their choice, including food flasks, clothes, kids’ wear, Hijabs, and shoes donated by some officials and volunteers of the Foundation. No one among the attendants of the graduation went home empty-handed. There were smiles everywhere and prayers to the Foundation for more success and greater heights.

By Uzair Adam Imam

Mixed reactions have continued to trail Zamfara State Governor Bello Matawalle’s donation of N85 million for the conduct of the Maulud of the leader of the Tijjaniyya movement, Shaykh Ibrahim Inyass.

The state is fast making preparation to host 1.5 million Tijjaniyya followers for the event. The money covers air tickets of Tijjaniya leaders from Senegal, their accommodation, feeding, and other logistics for conducting the 36th Maulud Celebration.

Zamfara has been in the news following armed banditry and kidnapping for ransom that have claimed hundreds of lives, displaced thousands of others and destroyed property worth millions of naira.

The crisis has spilt over to neighbouring states like Katsina, Sokoto, Kebbi, Kaduna and Niger.

According to Zamfara Commissioner for Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, Hajiya Fa’ika Ahmad, there are over 785,000 internally displaced persons (IDPs), including women and children, in various camps across the state.

However, over 44,000 children were orphaned by the activities of bandits in the last nine years. Not only this, these orphans, who lost their parents to the blood-thirsty demons, are left to cater for themselves.

But since the donation was made public, individuals took to social media to condemn what they called ‘misplacement of priority’, saying the state government needs a rethink on the matter.

‘Misplaced priority’

According to Mrs Ahmad, there are more than 784,0000 internally displaced persons (IDPs), including women and children, in various camps in the state.

However, many concerned citizens described Mattawalle’s donation as a misplacement of priority, considering the number of people presently in dire need of support in the state.

An indigene of Zamfara State, Mu’azu Malami, said the money allocated for the procession should be used to address the plight of IDPs and fight insecurity.

Mu’azu Malami said, “In such a trying time, spending over 80 million naira on a one-day event, despite our challenges, is not but a misplacement of priority.

“By this time, the government should concentrate more on helping banditry-torn villages, especially women and children. They need to be provided with food, shelter and proper education.”

Abubakar Dahiru is another indigene who argued that the government should have initially declined the request.

He said, “The government should not think that it is helping Islam because only the leaders of this association will benefit and share the money among themselves.”

Isma’il Muhammad (not real name) said that the state government is confused.

He added, “IDPs in Zamfara should be the priority. The government should have done everything within its power to save their lives.

On the contrary, Anas Sunusi commended Zamfara State Government for the gesture, saying that other sects had received a similar kind of gesture from the state government.

Anas Sunusi, “I see nothing wrong in donating N85 million by the state government to commemorate the death of Sheikh Ibrahim Nyass.

“Izala had, at one time, received a similar gesture to build a university.”

He added that the amount could not stop the government from handling security challenges in the state, saying the gathering would be used as an avenue to pray for the state and the country at large.

‘We will bring peace to Zamfara’

In an interview with our reporter, a renowned Tijjaniyya cleric in Kano, Sheikh Nazirfi Alkarmawi, said the gathering is meant for prayer to reign in the state.

Alkarmawi said no matter what people say, the money would not be taken back.

He added, “Therefore, people must not grumble. The essence of this gathering is to pray for peace and prosperity across all states of the country.

“Concerning security challenge, we can only pray. The issue is beyond everyone’s expectations.”

By Aisar Fagge

A picture of a 13-year-old Hausa boy, Musa Sani, who designed a flyover prototype trended social media platforms with many comments about the magic hand and brain of the young child.

Upon seeing that, there was news that Ronchess Global Resources Plc offered the child a scholarship and an automatic offer at their construction company. The Daily Reality followed up the story and spoke with the CEO and founder of the company, Jackson Ukuevo, who said:

“Yes, it is true. I have spoken to one Ali Usman from Borno, who said he’ll speak to the guy’s parents. We gonna move him to Abuja. I’m gonna put him in one of the best schools in Abuja. A private school. When he’s done from there, I’m gonna ensure that he gets to the United States of America (USA) to further his education to build on his horizon. He’ll then come back and do something real for us.

Because what I saw, I don’t think it is something anyone should leave behind. For that child [at his age] to design that [flyover prototype] and actually build on that, then if we give him the opportunity and put him in the right position, with all the accessories and resources he needs, and also be with the mindset of the same people with the same creativity he has, we’re sure he’s gonna do something wonderful.”

When he was asked whether he has spoken to the child’s parents, he said:

“I haven’t spoken to his parents. I just spoke with someone (Usman Ali) who said he’ll speak to his parents and he’s gonna try to speak with the emir of village or something, then once that is done upon the parents’ acceptance, we will move the child and his parents to Abuja. There I’m gonna ensure that the child gets one of the best schools in Abuja. Then, upon all this, hopefully, he completes his education and everything, we make sure he furthers it outside the country. We believe he’ll come back and give back to the society something great.”

The Daily Reality then asked the CEO when he’s planning to go to Maiduguri and meet the child’s parents to show seriousness in his company’s promise he closed with: “We are just waiting for his parents’ acceptance of our offer. Once they accept it, we’re ready to go down there and meet them. If they accept it today, tomorrow we’ll be there and finalize everything.”

The Daily Reality also spoke with the first person who posted the picture of Musa Sani with his flyover prototype on her Facebook page, Yagana Bukar, on whether she knows Ali Usman, who was given the assignment to speak to the parents of the boy.

She said, “Yes, I know him. Right now, he’s in Abuja, but he’s coming back tomorrow. When I posted the picture of the boy, I tagged him and the governor of Borno State, Prof. Babagana Umar Zulum, hoping someone will help the child to study engineering abroad. Now Allah has answered my prayer.”

By Ahmad Deedat Zakari

The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) Ahmadu Bello University branch has advised the institution to withdraw the degree it awarded Kaduna State Governor, Malam Nasir Ahmad El-Rufai.

This was contained in a statement jointly signed by the Chairman and Secretary of ABU-ASUU, Haruna M. Jibril and Hussain A. Abdullahi, released to the public on Wednesday, March 2, 2022.

The statement is an aftermath of a congress meeting held by the union at the Abdullahi Smith Lecture Theatre in ABU.

The union said it discussed the attempt of Elrufai to illegally and forcefully take over lands belonging to ABU despite a court order restraining him from doing so.

According to the Union, El-Rufai’s actions are in contravention of the requirement of character by the institution before awarding a degree. Therefore it becomes necessary to ask for his degree certificate to be withdrawn.

The statement partly reads: “The ASUU- ABU branch at its congress meeting of March 2, 2022, deliberated on the matter of the attempt by Nasiru El-Rufai, the Executive Governor of Kaduna State, to illegally and forcefully in utter disregard of an order by a competent court of law, take over lands belonging to the Ahmadu Bello University, an institution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and a historic and premier University.”

According to the Union, as contained in the statement, the Congress, therefore, resolved to seek the withdrawal of the El-Rufai degree certificate.

By Aminu Adamu Naganye

Established as the centre for juvenile delinquents in 1958 and later converted to Special Education School in 1977, it is Kano’s premier and most important school for Persons with Special Needs from Kano and beyond. In part one of this special report, the Daily Reality reporter, Aminu Adamu Naganye presents the general condition of school from classes, furniture to hostels. And how the shortage of learning materials hampers the learning process of the students.

PICTURE 1

Approaching of classrooms in the junior secondary school section of Kano Special Education School, Tudun Maliki, The Daily Reality observed how a teacher was trying hard to obviously settle a fight between two hearing-impaired students. “Judging and settling fights are a daily routine here,” said a smiling teacher who likened their work to that of judges.

Special Education School, Tudun Maliki, Kumbotso Local Government Area of Kano state is a combined boarding school with multiple sections or parts serving the educational needs of persons with special needs (disability) from different parts of Nigeria.

Established prior to Nigeria’s independence in 1958 as a centre for keeping juvenile delinquents, it was later transformed into a school for hearing and visually impaired pupils in 1977. At the inception, the special school “started with four (4) visually impaired students and seven (7) teachers.”

“There are currently about 1500 pupils and students comprising both male and female from different parts of Nigeria,” said our tour guide who teaches at the secondary section of the school. “It has a primary section, junior secondary and senior secondary sections” he added.

“Special Education School Tudun Maliki is a sort of a unity school because its students aren’t only from Kano state. It is a kind of unity school because we have students from all the neighbouring states such as Jigawa, Kaduna, Katsina, and Bauchi. We have students also from Yobe, Taraba, Abuja and even Lagos we have students from there… there are students from different places in this school” narrated a teacher while briefing an NGO team that distributed items to the students.

Although the school director and teachers do not entertain journalists in the school for apparent fear of possible backlash from the authorities who often deny or trivialise the problem, the school accepts NGOs who support the school with learning and teaching materials in addition to supporting the pupils with detergent and laundry stuff. TDR relied on an NGO’s visit to file this report.

It can be recalled that recently the school became a public sensation, especially on social media when some visitors posted dilapidated conditions of the students’ toilets which prompted the Kumbotso Local Government Chairman to come to their rescue by renovating one toilet and constructing another in the school; another philanthropist also built a toilet for the students as shown by a teacher. 

Although there are other special education schools at the primary level for the persons with special needs in Kano, this particular school is actually unique as it allows them to culminate into senior secondary school. “There are primary school sections of this type established by some metropolitan LGAs in Kano. So after their primary education there, they come here to continue to secondary school” said a teacher.

Dilapidated classrooms and hostels, in need of renovation

Considering the fact that there are few special education schools of this type that impart knowledge to persons with special needs in the state, it is expected that this very school should have standard classrooms and hostels for this unique breed of students. However, classrooms at the school were anything but befitting for learning and teaching. “It is not conducive for learning and teaching the state of the classrooms, especially the primary section,” said a teacher, “there are no seats in the classes, and the students sit on a bare floor. The windows and even the doors to the classes are all broken” narrated the teacher as he ushered our reporter into primary six class.

PICTURE 2

The sign language/gesture with which they greeted our reporter tells the fertile minds, hearts and brains eager to learn and expand frontiers of knowledge not just in the hearing impaired community but also in the larger society. With their complete white uniforms, the hearing-impaired pupils look dirty and untidy for obviously having constant contact with bare floor due to the absence of desks and chairs in the class. What is startling is the apparent joyous and smiling faces of these innocent souls full of hopes and dreams as they welcome us into their supposedly learning vicinity. In most of the primary school classes, there was no single chair or desk for the students’ learning convenience. In a class where few desks were available, they were broken and not convenient for sitting, writing and learning. “That is how all of us manage the situation. The teachers and pupils are doing their best in this environment,” said one teacher.

Passing through the students’ hostel blocks, the story is the same. The sorry condition of the dormitory is visible from any angle. Most of the windows are broken and the doors are not any better. “It is terrible when it is very cold because the windows as you can see are broken,” said the teacher in whose company our reporter moved around the school. Similarly, it is terrifying the condition of both the hostels and the beds for the students; the beds are grossly inadequate, leaving many students to sleep on the floor with mattresses alone due to a shortage of bunk. The teacher guide said they pity the students, especially in cold weather but there is nothing they could do personally to help the situation.

Despite our reporter’s inability to get into the hostels but peeping through the broken windows reveals their dilapidated conditions ranging from shattered windows, scratched and cracked walls to badly spoiled ceilings.

A teacher whose identity could not be revealed appealed thus “Government owns the school and it’s doing its best. But I still call on the government to do more. I also call on NGOs and affluent people to come and help, to support government efforts. There are a lot of things to do here. A lot of problems to solve especially in classrooms because you can’t learn in an unconducive learning environment. As you have seen in the primary section of the school, they sit and learn on a bare floor. There are no seats. The windows are broken”  

“We need additional hostels. There is a shortage of even beds. Some students are sleeping on the bare floor of course with either a mattress or mat. We have a lot of students but the accommodation isn’t enough. We need both bunks and a hostel block. Especially during cold weather. If you check the hostel, they need to be renovated. But as the saying goes a ‘single tree cannot make a forest.’ “We hope people and organisations should come and support the government,” he added.

Dearth of teaching and learning materials

The peculiarity of the kind of students of the Special Education School requires unique learning instruments to impart knowledge to them successfully. Although it was relatively easier to teach hearing-impaired students using sign language, a blackboard and chalk-like conventional students, it is more challenging to teach visually impaired students how to write and subsequently read their writings. A teacher corroborated this when he said, “Honestly, we don’t have the material for teaching and learning on the ground…if you take the hearing impaired students there is a little problem because they use learning materials like everyone such as chalk, blackboard, textbook etc. Even though we don’t have textbooks but their parents buy for them.” 

But for the visually impaired students, he explained that “That is where we have a very big problem. Previously, NGOs used to bring learning materials. Now they don’t bring such things. And their (visually impaired) learning materials are expensive, especially if you want to enrol them in primary school you have to buy what is called “slate and stylus” which currently cost around N10, 000. And this slate and stylus is a must if you want your child to study because it is the first learning instrument. So some parents because they cannot afford to buy such material, prefer to keep their children at home and refuse to enrol them in school.”  The teacher however acknowledges that the government supplies exercise books for the students.

TDI came to the rescue, donates hundreds of textbooks

As part of its effort to support and empower adolescents, a Kano-based NGO called Teens Development Initiative (TDI) made a commitment to addressing some of the challenges in the school, especially on learning materials.

Fadhila Nuraddeen Muhammad, Founder and Executive Director, of TDI, told the Daily Reality that they are currently working with the school authority to establish a library for the school. She said they discovered that science-based subjects were not taught in the school because of the absence of instructional materials but the students were eager to learn, hence their commitment to support with the necessary materials, especially textbooks.

She said TDI donated about one thousand books to the school that will be put to the library to make it functional.

“We have already delivered the books to the school. We are planning to raise some funds for the shelves in the library,” she noted.

Our students don’t starve, they have nutritious meals

Despite the challenges confronting the school, the students are not left to starve as one of the visually impaired students revealed. The student, Abdullahi Adamu, confirmed that: “They give us food in the morning, in the afternoon and at night.” In the same vein, a teacher in the school told our reporter that “They get good food here. Some of them cannot get what they get here in their parents’ houses. They are served three meals, three good meals a day. The government provide their breakfast, lunch and dinner. Some of us as their teachers cannot afford what they are being served in our houses.” Another teacher explained further: “In their breakfast, for instance, they are served bread, tea and egg. In the afternoon, they are given food with chicken. It is not everyone that can afford that nowadays. Every Wednesday, they eat a fish meal. In the past, after every two weeks, cows used to be slaughtered. They hardly eat food without meat.”

To be continued in part (II)