The Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Sa’ad Abubakar the 3rd, says “We cannot educate our children by leaving them begging round streets of cities and towns”.
The Sultan made the assertion at the inauguration of the Zamfara State Almajiri Integrated Qur’anic Education Centre, Gummi held in Gummi on Sunday.
“I am not a politician but I’m here because of the importance I attach to the programme to me and community at large”, he said.
“Qur’anic Schools are centres where religious education and values were inculcated to children, but the only source of concern was begging among almajiri students”, the Sultan said.
The construction of integrated schools is very critical to the needs of society as it goes a long way in addressing out-of-school children and ending begging in the name of learning.
He said every government must put education at the forefront, believing that all good things come from education and all bad are from ignorance.
In his remarks, Gov. Dauda Lawal of Zamfara said the government would safeguard the future of younger ones by creating an enabling environment for a brighter future.
“The centre we are inaugurating is a World Bank intervention project through the State Universal Education Board (SUBEB) and two more of it would be constructed in Gusau and Kaura Namoda.
He added that in addition to six classrooms of 45 students capacity and 130 double bed space, 12 toilet facilities and kitchen, a vocational centre to train children on woodwork, sewing, messing work among others were established.
He assured the people of government’s commitment to providing adequate feeding and other well-being of the students.
The governor named the centre after Sultan Sa’ad Abubakar the 3rd.
The governor also inaugurated the upgraded and renovated General Hospital in Nasarwa Burkullu in Bukkuyum Local Government Area of the state, and Maru General Hospital which was also renovated.