…And the court said yes!

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As the blizzard of ‘Happy New Year!,’ ‘Thank God we made it!’ and other New Year messages rocked the airwaves, at the beginning of this year, Kaduna state based Isah Aliyu had other ideas. He was tired of his marriage with Jamila and was determined to put an end to it. Before January expired, he had divorced her. His argument was that she refused to relocate to the village with him. But Aliyu went a step further. He withdrew their two sons from a regular school and sent them to an Almajiri school in Kargi, Kaduna where they had to beg for alms.

The average Almajiri school’s living quarters is not pretty. Kids of age 3 and above sleep on bare floors or worn-out mats in either uncompleted buildings or run down structures. Sometimes it is wherever they are able to rest their heads at night. In several of these houses, goats may not find the small rooms where the kids sleep conducive as there are no windows for cross-ventilation and the walls have given room to cracks looking as if it will fall the next minute. The occupants of course are vulnerable to all forms of diseases They look pale, apparently due to malnutrition, with blisters on their lips, scabs on their heads and deeps cracks on their heels. The dryness of their faces and rashes on their skins suggest many things.

But, 33 year old Jamila Abubakar, would have none of that. “My children must have a better life,” she determined. Considering that she was dealing with a system where a woman’s voice must not be loud, she must have like the biblical Queen Esther, vowed “if I die, I die.”  She hauled her former husband, to a Sharia Court sitting at Magajin Gari, Kaduna. for taking their two children to an  ‘Almajiri’ school.

Insisting she had enrolled the boys in both western and Islamic school in Kaduna town where they were doing well, Jamila prayed the court to document the divorce and compel Aliyu to return the children back to town so that they could continue their education.

Aliyu however, maintained that his ex-wife refused to relocate to his village with him, adding that he did not take his children to an Almajiri school. Moreover, he said the children were well taken care of by his parents and his new wife in the village.

The court eventually granted Jamila request.

In an interview with a national daily, she gave details about the encounter.

Daily Trust: What motivated you to take your former husband to court?

Jamila Abubakar:   The major reason for taking my former husband to court is to take my two children to school and the aim is to save the future of our children by acquiring both Western and Islamic education like any other child in the society. I want my children to be educated.

DT: What is your level of education?

Jamila:  I attended primary school. I believe education is good, sweet and something to be cherished. One day, God willing, I hope to further my education. Education is light, education is power, education is a meaningful tool for better life of an individual and society. It is the greatest treasure you can give to your child that has a reward both in this world and the hereafter.

DT: How do you view western education?

Jamila: Western education is a modern way of acquiring knowledge in the present day world. It is a valuable tool for every human being to relate and compete favourably with others and if you don’t have this kind of education your life will be incomplete.

DT: What is your understanding of Almajiri schools?

Jamila: Almajiri school is an archaic system of learning where a child acquires the knowledge of the Holy Quran away from the child’s parents. But unfortunately this has now become something else, a nuisance and to me it is no more a good process to give your child quranic knowledge. Almost all the children in Almajiri schools are just roaming the streets wasting their precious time without getting either the quranic education or any skills to depend on. I think Islamic education can be acquired with children living under the care of their parents where they can go school and come back home. So, to me it is better to have your child going to any type of school under your watch.

DT: What role do you think women can play to stem this?

Jamila: I believe women have a better role to play to bring about the desired change of attitude of men towards the issue of Almajiri system of education. Women should first start with prayers  and act depending on their circumstances with their spouses because my former husband does not know the value of education but other husbands or parents may know. The change can begin from the family and it should not be through disagreement or quarrel but through dialogue. A woman can change the mind set of her husband against the Almajiri school.  It must not be necessarily by going to court but if the situation warrants them to go why not?  Women should try to exhaust all the cultural and religious avenues to convince their spouses to understand the dangers of enrolling their children in Almajiri school and the implications of depriving them the opportunity to have western education. You know we have cultural values that negate open confrontation with our spouses. I am not saying that quranic education is bad but we have a modern way of pursuing quranic education under the watch of parents. Women have responsibilities to help our children by campaigning against Almajiris roaming the streets. Women can start with dialogue, consultation within the immediate family before going out to the society. The menace of these abuses of our children can be drastically reduced if married women, divorcees and other women in the society understand the need to make our society better. Women have a role to play especially in curtailing the issue of Almajiri system in Northern Nigeria.

Continue reading: https://www.dailytrust.com.ng/my-ex-husband-sent-our-kids-to-almajiri-school-so-i-dragged-him-to-court.html