A Comparative Study of Intelligence Quotients of Almajirai Attending Quranic Schools and Pupils of Selected Primary Schools in Zaria, Northwest Nigeria.

BACKGROUND

Almajiri is a word that describes a child sent far away from his parents to study the Quran under the tutelage and care of a Muslim scholar, also known as a Mallam. In recent times, the capacity of the Mallam to cater for these children has declined, leading them to beg on the streets for sustenance. Cognitive capacity has rarely been studied amongst this population. This study was designed to compare the intelligence quotients of Almajirai attending Quranic Schools and that of pupils attending public primary school in Zaria, Northwest Nigeria.

METHODS

A comparative cross-sectional study design was employed to compare the intelligence quotients of 401 participants (200 Almajirai and 201 public primary school pupils). All participants were administered a socio-demographic questionnaire and the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children Fourth Version (WISC-IV).

RESULTS

Public primary school pupils performed significantly better than Almajirai on all administered subtests of the WISC-IV except arithmetic. The mean Full-Scale IQ score of Almajirai was significantly lower than that of public primary school pupils (60.30±11.49 vs. 70.12 ± 11.9, p< 0.001, 95% CI= -12.12-7.52). The intelligence quotient of Almajirai was associated with the age of the child and the father's level of education while that of public primary school pupils was associated with their current class in school.

CONCLUSION

Public primary school pupils performed better than Almajirai on intelligence tests indicating a need to reform Almajiri Education. It is recommended that the system be strengthened and its curriculum expanded to include other modules rather than its current restriction to religious education.