The Jigawa government, in Dutse on Wednesday, said it earmarked N3.5 billion for the development of Tsangaya education in the state.

Abubakar Maje, the executive secretary of the Jigawa State Tsangaya Education Board, said this after defending the board’s budget for the 2026 fiscal year before the Jigawa State House of Assembly Committee on Basic Education.

Mr Maje said the amount covers both the board’s capital and recurrent expenditures in 2026.

He said that part of the money would be used to complete three mega tsangaya schools in the Kafin Hausa, Ringim, and Dutse Local Government Areas of the state.

A Tsangaya school is a traditional West African (especially Nigerian Hausa) Islamic educational system focused on Quranic memorisation, Arabic, and Islamic values, run by a teacher (Malam) with students using wooden slates (Allo)

The executive secretary said that skill acquisition centres, teacher accommodations, mosques, water, and electricity would be provided in each of the three mega schools.

According to him, part of the money will also be used to continue work at seven tsangaya schools the state inherited from the federal government.

“One of the major works we have in this budget is the construction of new reading sheds and classes at 60 tsangaya schools established across the 30 constituencies in the state.

“Also, we will build toilets in all the schools since almajiri have been identified as one of the major contributors to open defecation. So, we planned to provide adequate toilets in our 30 major tsangaya schools across the state.

“This initiative is aimed at providing access to education to over 6,000 children across the state,” Mr Maje said.

He further stated that the money would also be used to finance the National Board for Arabic and Islamic Education (NBAIS) programme and the Accelerated Basic Education Program (ABEP) introduced by the federal government.

“It will also be used to procure more instructional materials, beds, and mattresses, among others,” he said.