Evaluating the Effectiveness of Hausa Language Instruction in Tsangaya Schools in Borno State

Tsangaya schools, the traditional Quranic boarding institutions widespread in northern Nigeria, represent an important but understudied context for Hausa language instruction, as they serve millions of children whose primary educational experience occurs outside the formal school system. This study evaluates the effectiveness of Hausa language instruction in Tsangaya schools in Borno State, focusing on reading comprehension, oral communication, and writing skills among pupils. A descriptive evaluation design was adopted, with structured assessments administered to 240 Tsangaya pupils across six schools in Maiduguri and surrounding local government areas. Performance was benchmarked against the Universal Basic Education standards for comparable age groups. Interviews with 18 Malam teachers and six State Agency for the Education of Nomadic Children officials provided institutional perspective. Findings reveal that while oral Hausa fluency is generally strong among Tsangaya pupils, reading and writing competencies in formal Hausa orthography are significantly below benchmark levels, partly because Quranic instruction is conducted primarily in Arabic script and Classical Arabic. Hausa is used as the medium of oral instruction and explanation but is rarely the subject of explicit language teaching within the Tsangaya curriculum. The study identifies a structural gap in the integration of formal Hausa literacy instruction into Tsangaya educational programmes. Recommendations include development of a Hausa literacy supplement specifically designed for Tsangaya contexts, training of Malam teachers in Hausa literacy pedagogy, and stronger collaboration between the formal and non-formal education sectors in Borno State. Keywords: Hausa language instruction, Tsangaya schools, Borno State, Literacy, Quranic education.