Foundation tackles educational challenges in the North

Ja Muje, a citizen-led initiative of NorthernlifeNG, is planning a synergy between governments and educational institutions to achieve sustainable development in communities of northern Nigeria.

The foundation coordinator, Farida Yahaya in a statement said that during the First Edition of Ja Muje Round Table, a stakeholders forum on education, held recently in Kano they were able to delineate challenges working against formal education in the north region.

She said “Ja Muje has identified education as a principal issue and this formed the basis of its kick-off. Some of the most persistent issues we are dealing with include insecurity, religious and cultural misconceptions about western education and the unwillingness of parents, guardians and other holders of constituted authority to embrace the proposed benefits a good formal education presents.”

Farida said that there was a general agreement that the almajiri system was contributing to the stagnation of capacity in the North, as youth are left without the life skills required to better themselves and the lot of their communities.

In attendance at the roundtable were representatives of the states in the northern region with affiliation to educational institutions and other educational support organizations.