Why so many religious students in Nigeria beg in the streets
Many Koranic teachers keep children out of formal schools
Shoppers heading for the posh malls of Abuja, Nigeria’s capital, are often accosted in car parks by boys in ripped kaftans with begging bowls. The kids sing mellifluous laments in Hausa, the main language of northern Nigeria. Auwal Musa begs for food and cash to pay for his weekly religious studies. He is only eight, has never been to a state school and hasn’t seen his parents since he was five. He is one of an estimated 13m unschooled children in Nigeria.
This article appeared in the Middle East & Africa section of the print edition under the headline “Pupils with begging bowls”
Middle East & Africa August 27th 2022
From the August 27th 2022 edition
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