Nigeria’s First Lady, Oluremi Tinubu, has successfully partnered with the Qatar Foundation to launch a new education initiative targeting the country’s Almajiri and out-of-school children.
The agreement was forged in Doha, following a meeting with the foundation’s Founder and Chairperson, Her Highness Sheikha Moza Bint Nasser Al-Missned.
Mrs. Tinubu, who led the Nigerian delegation, sought the foundation’s collaboration to address the challenge of more than 15 million out-of-school children in Nigeria — the highest number globally.
The Federal Government will now move forward with a new schooling model that integrates both Islamic and formal education.
These facilities are designed to provide a comprehensive learning environment, including housing and skill-building opportunities for students, caregivers, and imams. To ensure high standards, the Qatar Foundation will assist the Ministry of Education with technical expertise and teacher training.
In a statement yesterday in Abuja by her Senior Special Assistant on Media, Busola Kukoyi, the First Lady said: “These schools will host and care for children in a safe learning environment, including mosques for worship, skills acquisition facilities, and boarding accommodations for students, Imams, and caregivers.
“This holistic approach will allow children to acquire both formal and Islamic education free from exploitation, while equipping them with life skills to contribute meaningfully to society.”
Mrs. Tinubu noted that the scale of the challenge required strategic international partnerships, adding: “Given the magnitude of this challenge and the competing demands on our national resources, Nigeria cannot achieve this alone. Your Highness represents precisely the kind of visionary partner who can help us make this dream a reality.”
She lauded Sheikha Moza’s global leadership and humanitarian record through the Qatar Foundation, particularly its landmark education projects, such as the Education City, which hosts over 40 schools and universities, and the Qatar National Library.
“I am proud to learn of your achievements in surpassing the target of enrolling 10 million marginalised children into school. Watching you do all these great works reinforces our conviction that change is possible,” the First Lady said.
Sheikha Moza Bint Nasser Al-Missned, who is also the Chairperson of the Qatar Foundation, promised that the foundation would actively support Nigeria’s Almajiri and Out-of-School Children Education initiative.
She announced that the foundation would work directly with Nigeria’s Ministry of Education to provide technical support, including the training of handlers and teachers in the proposed schools, to ensure high-quality learning outcomes.
Mrs. Tinubu had earlier toured the foundation’s headquarters in Doha, where she was received by the CEO, Yousif Al Na’am, and other senior officials.
During the visit, she was informed that Nigeria currently has 41 alumni from the Muhammad Khalifa University.
Senator Tinubu was accompanied by the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Muhammad Ali Pate; the Minister of State for Education, Prof. Suwaiba Ahmed; and the Executive Secretary of the National Commission for Almajiri and Out-of-School Children Education, Dr. Muhammad Sani Idris.
