An Indonesian Islamic scholar and philanthropist, Dr Umi Waheedah Bint Abdul Rahman, has called for a Waqf-driven model to reform Almajiri education in Nigeria, drawing on her experience of using Islamic endowments to fund schools, create jobs and equip vulnerable children with practical skills.
She made the call on Friday while delivering a public lecture titled “Sustainable Community Empowerment through Waqf: Experiences, Lessons, and Prospects” at the CBN Centre of Excellence, Bayero University, Kano.
Dr Waheedah explained how Waqf, an Islamic system of charitable endowment, could provide sustainable funding for education and other social services by investing donated assets in productive ventures.
Her model combines free Islamic education with agriculture, manufacturing, vocational training and entrepreneurship, allowing school-based businesses to generate income for educational services while preparing students for independent living.
Sharing her experience, the scholar said she established free Islamic boarding schools with her late husband in 1998 to provide vulnerable children with education, food, accommodation and healthcare.
The initiative had expanded to accommodate about 23,000 students by 2010, from early childhood to university level. Following her husband’s death that year, the programme was streamlined to serve approximately 15,000 students.
She recalled that taking over the institution presented serious financial difficulties, including substantial debts and unpaid staff salaries.
To sustain the schools and meet outstanding obligations, she sold her personal jewellery and vehicles while preserving the endowed assets supporting the institution.
The experience, she said, reinforced the importance of protecting Waqf assets and managing them productively to ensure long-term financial sustainability.
The institution’s investments include rice fields, rice-processing factories, coffee farms, timber plantations, a bread factory and other agricultural and commercial enterprises.
According to her, the organisation expanded its business operations from 25 units to 73, creating multiple income streams to support its educational programmes.
Dr Waheedah said Waqf should be seen not merely as a means of collecting charitable donations but as an economic system capable of generating recurring income for social development.
The organisation’s enterprises cover rice processing, noodle production, soya milk manufacturing, fisheries, livestock, poultry and animal-feed production. Its poultry operation includes 10,000 laying chickens.
The institution also incorporates waste recycling into its business model, converting food waste into larvae for poultry and fish feed while processing discarded plastics, eggshells and other materials into yarn, crafts, ornaments and paving blocks.
Its philosophy is captured in the motto, “There’s no trash, but cash.”
Beyond generating revenue, the activities provide students with practical experience in production, marketing, business management and entrepreneurship.
Students produce items such as caps, soap and socks for use within the institution and for sale to external customers. Some products, including traditional caps known as kofia, have reached international markets such as Senegal.
The institution also provides vocational training in agriculture, fisheries, sewing and the production of beauty products, among other trades.
Dr Waheedah said the objective was to prepare young people to become job creators rather than depend entirely on paid employment, donations or government assistance.
She urged Nigerian communities, particularly in the North, to adapt the model to local needs and available resources, arguing that communities could address educational and economic challenges through collective action and responsible investment.
She also disclosed that the organisation receives support from the Central Bank of Indonesia to establish businesses in Islamic boarding schools, particularly in drinking-water production, waste recycling and biogas generation from cow waste.
The scholar expressed interest in promoting similar partnerships in Nigeria, especially to support Almajiri schools.
Under the proposed arrangement, she said, financial institutions could provide funding, universities could contribute research and technical expertise, while Islamic organisations could coordinate implementation within their communities.
Earlier, the Vice-Chancellor of Bayero University, Professor Haruna Musa, represented by the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academics), Professor Ahmad Muhammad Tsauni, said the model offered opportunities to address poverty, educational disadvantage and unemployment.
He noted that Nigeria continued to face challenges involving out-of-school children, youth unemployment, orphanhood and the displacement of vulnerable populations.
According to him, Waqf could provide sustainable responses if supported by transparency, accountability and a clear development strategy.
Musa said the university would collaborate with Dr Waheedah by providing postgraduate fellowships for research into her development model and exploring institutional partnerships to facilitate knowledge exchange and practical application.
He also disclosed that the university had concluded plans to offer her a pro bono appointment that would enable her to engage with students virtually and share her experience.
Also speaking, the chairman of the occasion and Managing Director of Summit Bank Limited, Dr Sirajo Salisu, pledged support for outstanding graduates and offered to provide professional mentorship to students.
Salisu said the bank planned to offer automatic employment over the next five years to the best graduating male and female students in Islamic Banking and Finance or Economics, subject to the university’s decision on the selection arrangement.
He also offered to engage voluntarily with undergraduate and postgraduate students every two weeks to share professional experience and prepare them for career opportunities.
A former Director of the International Institute of Islamic Banking and Finance, Professor Binta Tijjani Jibril, called for an integrated approach to Almajiri education that combines Qur’anic instruction with vocational training, entrepreneurship and professional education.
She said school-based enterprises could generate income, reduce operating costs and equip learners with practical skills, while stronger governance and community participation would improve sustainability.
Jibril also identified digital and financial technologies as opportunities to mobilise resources, strengthen accountability and extend the model to communities with limited resources.
Similarly, the Director-General of Economic and Social Reforms Coordination in Gombe State, Dr Abdullahi Abubakar Lamido, called for practical steps to translate Waqf principles into sustainable solutions for education, healthcare, employment generation and community development.
He said Islamic history offered examples of charitable endowments being used to meet public needs, urging individuals, families and communities to organise their contributions around clearly defined development priorities.
The discussions highlighted the potential of Waqf to connect Islamic charitable traditions with productive investments, helping Almajiri schools sustain their operations while providing children with religious education, practical skills and pathways to economic independence.
