By Abubakar Rabilu Gombe
The Gombe State Commissioner for Local Government and Community development Barrister Sani Ahmad Haruna, has commended Tsangaya teachers across the state for endorsing Governor Muhammadu Inuwa Yahaya and the All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship candidate, Dr Jamilu Isiyaku Gwamna, ahead of the 2027 election.
The commissioner said the decision by the Islamic scholars to support the governor and the APC candidate was an appreciation of the state government’s interventions in Qur’anic education and efforts to improve the welfare of Almajirai.
He spoke shortly after a meeting organised by Tsangaya teachers in the state, during which the scholars pledged to support Dr Jamilu Gwamna and mobilise 150,000 votes for the APC in the 2027 governorship election.
Barrister Sani said the declaration demonstrated the teachers’ recognition of the government’s efforts to reposition the Tsangaya system and provide a better learning environment for Almajirai.
According to him, the Inuwa administration had constructed 11 major Tsangaya schools, one in each of the state’s 11 local government areas, in addition to establishing learning centres and providing facilities aimed at improving Qur’anic education.
He urged local government chairmen and other stakeholders to emulate Governor Inuwa Yahaya by supporting Tsangaya teachers and other educators involved in religious instruction.
The Tsangaya teachers at the meeting said their decision to back the administration was informed by what they described as the government’s unprecedented interventions in Qur’anic education and the welfare of Almajirai.
They said the government had, apart from constructing the 11 Tsangaya schools, established more than 120 learning centres and provided teaching materials, accommodation and vocational training programmes to enable students to acquire skills for self-reliance.
The teachers also commended the government for enrolling 1,000 Almajirai in the state’s health insurance scheme and establishing the Almajiri Agency, which they said would provide a more organised framework for the development and management of Almajiri education.
Speaking at the event, the Senior Special Adviser to the Governor on Almajiri and Tsangaya Education, Sayyada Amina Sheikh Dahiru Bauchi, said the administration had accorded priority to Tsangaya education by integrating religious studies with modern education.
She said the construction of the 11 Tsangaya schools and establishment of youth training centres had provided students with opportunities to pursue education while acquiring vocational skills that could make them self-reliant.
According to her, some of the initiatives were implemented through the Better Education Service Delivery for All (BESDA) programme, which provided opportunities for Qur’anic teachers and students to access additional education and acquire skills for self-reliance.
She said the government would continue to support initiatives aimed at strengthening Qur’anic education while improving the welfare and prospects of Almajirai across the state.
