Competition is fierce in Jigawa as the state government begins computer-based tests to hire 500 teachers under its J-Tsangaya programme, with more than 9,000 graduates and NCE holders vying for the positions.
The screening, which kicked off on Sunday in Dutse, Hadejia and Gumel, is the first major recruitment drive to staff three new mega Tsangaya schools designed to integrate Islamic and formal education for Almajirai.
Executive Secretary of the Jigawa State Tsangaya Education Board, Abubakar Maje, said 3,150 applicants were shortlisted from the initial pool to sit the CBT.
“The government shortlisted 3,150 applicants to sit for the CBT, from which the successful candidates will be selected,” Maje told journalists after inspecting the centres.
The recruitment is tied to the state’s Almajiri Free Zone Programme, which aims to enrol more than 5,000 Almajirai into a structured learning system that goes beyond Qur’anic studies.
Maje said the plan is to provide a full welfare package for pupils in the new schools.
“Our goal is to help them become self-reliant and have a better future,” Maje stated. “The plan is to give Tsangaya pupils education, accommodation, healthcare and skills.”
Under the programme, mega Tsangaya schools have been set up in Dutse, Kafin Hausa and Ringim. Each facility is expected to take about 1,500 children.
The curriculum will combine traditional and modern subjects. Pupils will study the Qur’an alongside English, Mathematics, Basic Science and Computer Studies.
“Vocational training will also be included to prepare them for employment and self-employment,” Maje said.
He added that the teachers to be recruited will be critical to supporting the transition of Almajirai from street-based learning to formal classrooms with skills for livelihoods.
