FG should give incentives to school proprietors like farmers – Proprietor

Dr Musa Ahmed Isa (Abubasmah) is the proprietor of Al-Mumtaz Academy, keffi, Nasarawa state. In a chat with Uji Abdullahi Iliyasu, he talks about his vision in the education sector and the need for the federal and state governments to encourage private schools for a better society.

The inspiration

When I went to Sudan for my Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), I discovered that schools in Sudan were quite different from schools in Nigeria. And being a student of Arabic and Education, I made up my mind here and then that it would be excellent for me to contribute my quota to the society. There are many schools in Nigeria that do not operate to my taste because some of them see the establishment of school purely as money making business. For me, money may come, but that is not my primary objective. Any monetary gain is secondary to my vision. My primary aim is to enlighten my Muslim compatriots in the society who are left behind educationally.  If you go out, you will find that most Islamic schools do not go hand in hand with modern schools. This is why I established a school that teaches both Islamic and western education. My school can compete favourably with any modern school in the country.

Vision for the school

I have a vision to make Al-Mumtaz Academy an exemplary citadel of knowledge that produces worldwide professionals who crown their professions with intensive memorisation, all over the world, and understanding sincere practice of the knowledge of the Glorious Qur’an and the Prophet’s traditions, with enabling environment.

In addition to this, we have a mission to promote a pious generation that propagates the teaching of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (SAW), based on the understanding of the pious predecessors, and to attain excellence in both Islamic and modern education.

Early challenges

Praise be to God. We started with only three pupils. Out of these three pupils, one is my daughter, another is a daughter of my friend and the third one is a daughter of one of my teaching staff. Glory be to God, today we have more than 200 pupils enrolled in the school.

Partnership and funding

Thank God.  I single handedly established this school. When I established the school, I had a master’s degree. I had looked for jobs in the public service but to no avail. One day, I went to see my mother. In the cause of our conversation, she asked, “Why don’t you establish a school since you don’t have anything doing?”  Even though I had the intention of establishing a school, I told her I would look into her advice. Like a joke, I started assembling resources for the take-off of the school. Today what you can see here is the result of the effort. This school was solely established by me. Nobody contributed any kobo to the school project. I am the proprietor, I am the acting director. Now that the school is gaining a strong footing, I am considering appointing a substantive director.

The Curriculum in use

I tell you sincerely that we don’t go out of the curriculum approved by the Federal Ministry of Education. We run all our programmes based on the Nigerian National Policy on Education. All our books are certified by the National Educational Research and Development Council (NERDC). We don’t go outside the curriculum to bring learning experiences that will not   benefit our children.  Those whom government assigned to design curriculum for Nigerian schools are professionals whose expertise is not contestable. So, going outside the national curriculum shouldn’t be a norm. That is why we go to ministries of education at the state and federal levels to get our curriculum.

Admission of Christian students

We can’t say we don’t admit Christian students, but for now no Christian pupils or parents have come to seek admission.  If Christian pupils accept our mission and vision why should we deny them admission?  But no Christian parents have come to seek admission for their children or wards. 

We are working towards taking this school to the university level in two years, God willing. By Allah’s will, Al-Mumtaz Academy will be elevated to the university level soon.

Standard of education

Indeed, the standard of education in the country is sliding backwards, and this is what we seek to correct. You too can testify that a child who graduated from a secondary school in those days could do things university graduates cannot do now. He could do things worthwhile and was able to defend his certificate. But the story is different nowadays. And this is a vacuum we want to fill at Al-Mumtaz Academy. Nowadays only few university graduates can defend their degree certificates. I went outside Nigeria for my PhD and found out that the challenges before Nigerians are very big. We found out that a professor in Nigeria is not comparable to a doctor outside. Why should it be like that? That is the gap we want to bridge here. At Al-Mumtaz, we don’t entertain leniency in teaching. We don’t give room to half-baked teachers or quacks. In employing teachers here, we don’t care about relations, friends or religious groups. We do our things purely on merit. When a child doesn’t perform well he will be repeated. This is what we do to assure that quality education is guaranteed. We want the government to take cue from us. This is why I very much appreciate what the governor of Kaduna state, Malam Nasir el-Rufai is doing in his state. El-rufai makes sure only teachers who are efficient and capable teach in Kaduna public schools.

Government policies on private schools

Governments are trying, only that they don’t give incentives to private schools. The way Mr President and the Minister of Agriculture are implementing agricultural policies is very good. The way they are supporting and encouraging farmers in terms of inputs, funding and marketing of their produce is very commendable. What we in the private schools want government to do is for them to extend the same incentives to our schools in our bid to raise the falling standard of education.

Most private schools are battling with staff salary. Parents find it hard to pay school fees for their children and wards. Even with modest school fees, most parents don’t come to pay schools fees in a go. They usually pay in installments, putting   school managements in a difficult position in terms of the payment of staff salary. Sometimes, it is even our children’s mothers that pay the school fees. In this aspect, if the government cannot assist by providing funds, let them assist by providing facilities and enabling environment in our effort to raise patriotic and useful generations of Nigerians. What President Buhari did when he was the chairman of Petroleum Trust Fund (PTF) is very important. During those days, impacts of PTF were felt in almost all aspects of the Nigerian life.  That was commendable. Even if government can assist with whiteboards and markers, it will go a long way in assisting us. However, we appreciate the federal and state governments, and pray God to guide them in what they do.

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