The foundation concept of Boko Haram insurgency, which has unleashed unprecedented catastrophe on Nigeria’s North-East, is: ‘Boko’ (western education) is ‘Haram’ (unlawful).
Operating on this concept, the insurgents, over the last fifteen years, destroyed hundreds of western education schools and every other related public property in Borno and Yobe states, which have borne the brunt of their wrath on the Nigerian nation.
In Borno State, the epicenter of the insurgency, the insurgents destroyed over 500 primary and secondary schools, killed hundreds of their teachers and threw about 60,000 pupils out of the formal education system.
This startlingly huge population of chased-out-of-school children, crammed in IDPs camps with their parents, relations or caregivers in Maiduguri, especially between 2014 and 2019, hopelessly roamed the streets as urchins in such a pathetic manner that struck the emotion of the state government and every other stakeholder in the Northeast humanitarian crisis.
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This situation rendered the education sector, which has conventionally been the foundation of the growth, development and prosperity of every human society, as one of the most-startling part of the humanitarian crisis that has ravaged Borno State, and therefore, one of the aspects requiring the most-urgent rehabilitation and reconstruction.
Rebirth of its lost educational glory
Consequently, the state government, with the gradual restoration of peace and security, declared a state of emergency in the education sector, designing schools’ reconstruction and more construction projects under a comprehensive resuscitation programme fashioned out to reposition Borno on a sound foundation for restoration of its lost educational glory.
One of such vital projects is the Model Schools project which, since the then Governor Kashim Shettima administration, has led to the construction of hundreds of western education and modernized Tsangaya schools, which integrate western education into the formal Islamic curriculum of education.
The modernization and expansive bolstering of the Tsangaya/Islamic system of education has been one of the most-spectacular and, seemingly, one of the most-promising part of the education section rehabilitation and reconstruction.
The rehabilitation and reconstruction of schools and modernization of Tsangaya schools, which Governor Babagana Zulum has mainly focused on over the last six years, have performed more spectacularly and, indeed, more impressively and more promisingly, than initially envisioned.
“Let us pick up our books and our pens,” I said. “They are our most powerful weapons. One child, one teacher, one book and one pen can change the world,” – Malala Yousafzai
Fighting violence, extremism through education, vocational skills
Over the last six years, Governor Zulum has, apart from rehabilitating hundreds of destroyed schools, constructed 104 new schools under the Model Schools project, and 20 Tsangaya/Integrated Islamic Schools across the state.
This has multiplied school re-enrollment and enrollment to a height that most-dazzlingly and most-daringly counter the insurgents’ foundation concept of unlawfulness of western education.
Going the extra mile, the Governor Zulum administration has constructed several tertiary education institutions, most-spectacularly, Colleges of Nursing, one each at Monguno and Gwoza, with the dual purposes of bolstering formal education and training medical care manpower, considering the fact that the health sector has been one of the hardest-hit by the insurgency, with the destruction of about 60 public healthcare facilities.
Last year, the Borno State Government said it spent over N9 billion to sponsor 32,000 indigenes under its human development scholarship programmes.
“In 2024 alone, the administration has allocated over N9 billion to sponsor students, with a focus on science, technology, engineering, ICT, and mathematics, for both local and international scholarships,” he said.
Meanwhile, few days ago, Zulum’s administration released another sum of N3.4 billion outstanding scholarship to foreign students for the payment of tuition and accommodation fees, residence permits, visa extension costs and a three-month upkeep allowance.
Consequently, he has retrained and graduated 1,181 teachers under phase four of its teacher training programme aimed at enhancing the capacity and qualification of educators across the state. Zulum’s administration’s commitment to education remains unwavering, as evidenced by the state’s continuous investment in teacher training and development.
The high Islamic College, the concept is to give second chance to those who couldn’t attend formal education at formative stage. While studying the Islamic Studies, there will be English, Mathematics, science and vocational training skills for them to catch up with others.
So far, 20 of such schools are being built to counter terrorism and violence extremism through vocational education. The schools are in Kukawa, Monguno, Magumeri, Gubio, Nganzai in the northern part of the state. Others include Kwaya-Kwuza, Biu, Gwoza, in southern part of the state, while Borno Central including Maiduguri Metropolis, Dikwa, Ngala, and Bama are also not left out.
Many believe that this approach would bridge the information gap especially in the rural areas where many lack knowledge on what the religion teaches or stand for because it is crystal clear that the main drivers of prolonged Boko-Haram terrorism is recruitment process of local with little knowledge about religion into the sects.
Of course, these high Islamic colleges across the state might be the game changer in countering insurgency ideology of recruitment process.
According to available data, the Borno State government has recruited not less than 4,000 teachers both formative and elementary levels, aside the isolation recruitment ongoing in some areas to fill in the gaps. Also, it was reliably gathered that Zulum’s administration is planning to recruit additional 2,000 teachers to upscale the quality of education.
Recently, Governor Babagana Zulum approved stipends of N250,000 for fathers and N50,000 for mothers of 90 students in Gajiganna town during the inauguration of the Higher Islamic College, Gajiganna, also approving free daily meals for all enrolled students.
“We must take deliberate steps to promote education in northern Borno. This is the only region yet to achieve adequate educational development, lamenting Gajiganna, with a population of 50,000, had only 90 secondary school students, describing the figure as alarming and demanding urgent attention.”
Teachers’ welfare should be prioritised
Mohammed Abubakar Kareto, a public affairs analyst, commended the steps the government of Borno State has taken to use education to counter the Boko Haram narrative.
Kareto said that one of the main forces behind Boko Haram’s ideology was the widespread belief that Western education was forbidden, or haram, and Borno State being the epicenter of the Boko Haram has suffered the most unqualified destruction of schools and killing of teachers at the heat of insurgency reign.
He noted, “It’s interesting to note that the government of Borno State, led by Governor Zulum, has taken numerous actions to use education to refute the Boko Haram narrative. As I speak today, Borno has the best classrooms and school infrastructure in the nation.
“One of the state government’s most significant and silent decisions was to construct numerous Higher Islamic Schools using the well-known Higher Islamic School in Maiduguri. This action has aided in strategically bringing Islamic and Western education together under one roof, including the well-liked Almajiris to obtain western education and further refute Boko Haram ideology.
“In terms of higher education, Governor Zulum has once again transformed the state college of education into a university by broadening its scope and accepting larger students. The decision to establish two more nursing schools, bringing the total number of nursing schools in the state to three, one in each senatorial district, was particularly detrimental to the ideology of Boko Haram.”
Kareto advised: “I believe that the state government should have taken a very aggressive stance on the issue of teacher welfare because, in my opinion, physical classrooms by themselves do not have the desired effect on the state’s educational ecosystem, and low pay frequently makes it difficult for teachers to pay for necessities, which in turn affects their productivity. Indeed, a significant number of ‘ghost workers’ who inflate the payroll have contributed to the problem of teachers’ welfare, which has been a problem for decades and was passed down to the Zulum administration. However, this should not be an excuse for the ongoing disregard for teachers’ welfare.”Odumeje: ‘I’ll Choose When I Die — No One Will See My Remains