The Federal government has disclosed that it appropriated over N800 million in the 2018 budget for execution and rehabilitation of capital projects at the National Board for Arabic and Islamic Studies (NBAIS).
Minister of Education, Malam Adamu Adamu disclosed this while commissioning the national headquarters of the board in Kaduna on Wednesday.
NBAIS is the regulatory and examination body for Arabic and Islamic Secondary Schools and centres in Nigeria. The Board, established in 1960 as Arabic and Islamic Studies Unit under the defunct Northern Nigeria Ministry of Education, became a parastatal of the Federal Ministry of Education in 2017.
The minister who was represented at the event by the Director of Basic and Secondary Education in the ministry, Alhaji Muhammadu Karage, said the ministry has over the years been committed to the overall development of Arabic education in Nigeria.
According to him, “more than two decades ago, the ministry established the National Arabic Language village, an agency with the responsibility of collaborating with the states and relevant stakeholders for boosting Arabic language in Nigeria.
“Also in order to rescue the Quranic education and the Zangaya system from total collapse, as well as to formalize the system, the ministry built over 150 Almajiri and Zangaya schools and handed over to the respective states, as provided for by the law.
“In addition, the ministry produced the Zangaya/Almajiri school curriculum, textbooks, teachers’ guide and distributed them to the relevant schools.
“In 2017, the Federal Executive Council (FEC) approved a waiver for the ministry to establish the National Board Arabic and Islamic Studies (NBAIS). The Board is designed to enable products of Arabic and Islamic schools to gain admission into tertiary institutions.
“Earlier, the National Council on Education, the highest decision-making body in education had directed relevant agencies and institutions to accept graduates of higher Islamic and Arabic institutions into higher institutions of learning.
“As part of technical assistance to NBAIS, the Federal Ministry of Education ceded its building, land and staff quarters to the board and committed over 200 million naira to its renovation and rehabilitation of the buildings.
“In 2018, the ministry appropriated over N600 million for the execution of NBAIS capital projects. Presently, necessary steps are in place to capture NBAIS staff in the in Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System (IPPIS), that will cost the Federal Government over N2billion annually.
“Furthermore, the Federal Ministry of Education is designed to harmonise basic Arabic and Islamic examination as part of its technical support rendered to states. This will ensure the standard and quality of the examinations,” the minister said.
Earlier, the Acting Registrar of the board, Professor Muhammad Abdullahi commended the Federal government for the unwavering commitment towards the development of Arabic and Islamic education in the country through the upliftment of the board.