An Indonesian Islamic scholar and philanthropist, Umi Waheedah Bint Abdul Rahman, has urged Nigerian communities to undertake a Waqf-based mannequin to fund Almajiri education, sort out poverty and equip youngsters with sensible expertise.
Ms Abdul Rahman stated that earnings from companies established by Islamic charitable endowments may present sustainable funding for colleges, create jobs and cut back dependence on donations and authorities help.
She spoke on Friday throughout a public lecture titled “Sustainable Community Empowerment through Waqf: Experiences, Lessons, and Prospects” at Bayero University, Kano (BUK).
According to a press release signed by Lamara Garba, the college’s Director of Public Affairs, Waqf is an Islamic charitable endowment whose belongings, if preserved, can finance non secular, academic and different social companies.
“Waqf should not be understood merely as an avenue for charitable donations but as a sustainable economic system capable of generating the resources needed to finance social services over the long term,” she stated.
She urged Nigerian communities to adapt the mannequin to native wants moderately than rely solely on authorities intervention.
How the mannequin works
Ms Abdul Rahman cited the free Islamic boarding colleges she and her late husband established in 1998 to supply deprived youngsters with education, meals, lodging and healthcare.
She stated the faculties served about 23,000 college students by 2010, from early childhood to school degree. However, following her husband’s demise that yr, enrolment fell to about 15,000.
She acknowledged that the establishment confronted challenges from collected debt and unpaid employees salaries, forcing her to promote private belongings, together with jewelry and autos, to maintain the faculties operating and defend the endowed belongings.
The establishment now operates 73 enterprise items, together with rice farms and processing factories, espresso farms, timber plantations, bakeries, noodle and soya milk manufacturing services, fisheries and livestock farms.
She additionally stated the establishment operates a poultry farm with 10,000 laying chickens and produces animal feed.
Ms Abdul Rahman additionally confirmed that the establishment gathered income by its companies, which helps finance the faculties whereas college students acquire sensible expertise in manufacturing, advertising and marketing and entrepreneurship.
Turning waste into wealth
Speaking on waste administration as a supply of earnings, she stated the establishment generates earnings by waste recycling, utilizing rotten meals waste to supply larvae as poultry and fish feed, and processing discarded plastics, eggshells, and candy wrappers into yarn, crafts, ornaments, and paving blocks.
Students additionally obtain coaching in agriculture, fisheries, stitching and beauty-product manufacturing, with some producing items for inner use and sale.
According to Ms Abdul Rahman, the establishment’s conventional caps, often called kofia, have reached worldwide markets, together with Senegal.
She stated the initiative goals to arrange younger individuals to turn out to be job creators moderately than rely fully on paid employment, charitable donations or authorities help.
Proposed partnerships in Nigeria
Ms Abdul Rahman stated the Central Bank of Indonesia helps companies inside Islamic boarding colleges, together with drinking-water manufacturing, waste recycling and biogas era from cow waste.
She expressed curiosity in establishing comparable partnerships in Nigeria, notably to help Almajiri colleges.
Under the proposed association, monetary establishments would offer funding, universities would contribute analysis and technical experience, and Islamic organisations would coordinate implementation inside communities.
She stated productive investments, vocational coaching and efficient administration may make Waqf “a sustainable instrument of social transformation.”
BUK pledges analysis collaboration
The Vice-Chancellor of BUK, Haruna Musa, represented by the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academics), Ahmad Tsauni, stated the mannequin may assist tackle poverty, unemployment and academic drawback.
He recognized out-of-school youngsters, youth unemployment, the poor situation of orphanages and the displacement of weak individuals as main challenges going through Nigeria.
Mr Musa stated Waqf can present sustainable options if belongings are managed with “transparency, accountability and a clear development strategy.”
He introduced plans for the college to supply postgraduate fellowships for researchers to check Ms Abdul Rahman’s mannequin and discover institutional partnerships.
Summit Bank provides graduate employment
The chairman of the event and Managing Director of Summit Bank Limited, Sirajo Salisu, introduced plans to make use of excellent graduates and college students.
READ ALSO; Mutfwang urges northern leaders to tackle Almajiri problem through education
He stated the financial institution plans to recruit the very best graduating female and male college students in Islamic Banking and Finance or Economics over the following 5 years, topic to the college’s resolution on the choice course of.
Mr Salisu additionally provided to mentor undergraduate and postgraduate college students voluntarily each two weeks.
Experts name for Almajiri education reform
Binta Jibril, a former director of the International Institute of Islamic Banking and Finance, referred to as for an built-in Almajiri education system that features Qur’anic instruction, vocational coaching, entrepreneurship, {and professional} education.
She stated school-based companies may generate income, cut back working prices and equip pupils with sensible expertise.
Also talking on the occasion, Abdullahi Lamido, director-general of Economic and Social Reforms Coordination in Gombe State, urged people, households and communities to organise charitable contributions round particular improvement wants.
He stated Waqf may help education, healthcare, job creation and neighborhood improvement, including that productive investments and clear administration may make Almajiri colleges financially sustainable whereas making ready pupils for productive lives.
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