Education is aimed at building and growing an individual through training and skills and boosts the individual's mind, intellect, and sense of reasoning. From an Islamic perspective, education is considered to be the way and manner in which individuals are nurtured; it is a process where individuals are built and nursed [1] . Besides that, education in Islam was gained to actualize the perfections of an individual and essentially, to recognize the existence of Allah and His attributes. The importance of knowledge in Islam leads to the emergence and establishment of informal and formal education in the place of the spread of Islam, including Nigeria [2]- [5] .

The history of Islamic education in Nigeria is synonymous with Islam in Nigeria, education has gone along with the religion in its initial stage. Education cannot do without religion neither religion can go without education [6]. The Prophet (peace be upon him), gives much emphasis on the quest for religion and he says, "If Allah wants to do good to a person, he makes him to understand the religion" [7] . With the coming of Islam to Nigeria, the rulers of the Kanem Borno Empire accepted Islam and later employed teachers to teach the tenets of Islam to the communities [8] . Islamic education in Nigeria was held as non-formally in the company of the teacher (Mallam). At that period, the students learn the Arabic text and the Qur'an, memorization of the Qur'an, and other basic teachings of the Islamic religion. It is mentioned here that there was not any form of government support or foreign aid to Islamic education at the time [9]- [11] .

Tsangaya Qur'anic schools are the traditional basic Qur'anic education platforms in northern Nigeria saddled with teaching and learning the Qur'anic as a foundation of Islamic Education [12], [13] .

The system is a semi-formal structure, affordable and flexible, where a child is completely handed over to a Mallam (teacher) mostly to live in the Tsangaya (traditional Qur’anic school) within or away from the parents’ house, community, or village/town for full-time study of Qur’an [14], [15].

Tsangaya Qur’anic schools are boarding-type; the students do not attend conventional primary schools. The schools are mostly located in the mallams’ (teachers’) homes or on the outskirts of the town with large numbers of children of 4-18 years age bracket. The schools can equally be found in or outside mosques, under the shade of trees, in open air, and in private houses [16], [17].

Tsangaya is regarded as one of the main Islamic systems of education which has been developed in Nigeria. It is believed that the Tsangaya system has a long history of existence. Its origin can be traced to the old Timbuktu scholastic culture where Timbuktu, located in Western Africa in the Republic of Mali was the centre of Islamic education and Islamic scholarship [18] . Many books were written and copied in Timbuktu starting from the 14th century. Besides that, the University of Timbuktu was established and later became well-known throughout the Islamic world. Thus, the spirit of old Timbuktu scholastic culture later influenced the emergence of the Tsangaya system of education in northern Nigeria. This system had over a long period graduated many Islamic scholars who later took the responsibility of teaching and spreading the religion of Islam nationwide. However, over time, the Tsangaya system has been encountering some problems that need the immediate or urgent attention of the government and the individuals to rescue. This old system of education is still very relevant for moral educational development in society [19], [20] .

Tsangaya refers to the informal school or place where teaching and learning of the Glorious Qur'an and other Islamic sciences takes place. The early Tsangaya schools were day institutions, that children attended from the comfort of their homes living with their families and receiving proper guidance, teaching, and learning [21] . The word Tsangaya is derived from the Sangaya in Kanuri, which means educational institution [22] . Consequently, Sangaya is the real name while Tsangaya is a Hausa alteration of the word. On the other hand, the term Tsangaya School known as Makarantar Allo derives its name from what is largely visible in the school which is the wooden slate Allo in the Hausa language. Apart from the general name, Tsangaya has other names such as Makarantar Muhammadiyya, Makarantar al-Qur'ani, Makarantar Toka, etc. Meanwhile, the word Almajiri is derived from the Arabic word Almuhajirun which means migrants. It refers to the students who enrol in the traditional method of acquiring and memorizing the Glorious Qur'an in Hausa land, it also refers to a particular place where children at their tender ages are sent out by their parents to other villages, towns, and cities for acquiring the knowledge of the Glorious Qur'an under the care of a knowledgeable Islamic scholar Alaramma, Mallam or Goni [23] .

Qur'anic memorization and scholarship is a religious duty in Islam, a Qur'anic scholar is considered in Muslim societies as one of the noblest of men and is accorded much honour and respect. This position is not given to a Qur'anic scholar without a strong religious basis. It was reported from the Prophet (may peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) that:

The people of the Qur'an are men of Allah and his special people [24] .

Allah in the Glorious Qur'an describes such people as those who constantly rehearse it, combined with the performance of daily Salat and giving charity secretly as those whose acts are equated with commerce that never fails. Allah promised to give them more of his bounties and complete their rewards. The Qur'an went further to describe those who inherit the Qur'an, the Ummah of Prophet Muhammad (may peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), as a selected community among the servants of Allah; this is a superior courtesy of the Qur'an, as contained in Surah al-Fāṭir: Verily, those who recite the Book of Allah (this Qur'an), perform AsSalat (IqamatasSalat) and spend (in charity) out of what we have provided for them, secretly and openly, hope for a (sure) trade gain that will never perish [25], [26] .

That He may pay them their wages in full, and give them (Even) more, out of his Grace. Verily! He is Oftforgiving, Most ready to appreciate (good deeds and to recompense). And in another verse of the same Surah, Allah also said: Then we gave the Book the Qur'an) for inheritance to such of Our slaves whom we chose (the followers of Muhammad Sal-Allaahu 'alayhe Wa Sallam). Then of them are some who wrong their selves, and of them are some who follow a middle course, and of them are some who are, by Allah's Leave, foremost in good deeds. that (inheritance of the Qur'an), that is indeed a great Grace [27] .

In Taraba State, the historical setting of the Tsangaya tradition is organically linked with the evolution of Islam in the State [28] . Therefore, the problem of this research lies in the lack of concrete and verifiable data on Tsangaya Qur'anic schools in Taraba State. The aspiration of this research is, therefore, to provide a comprehensive database on Tsangaya Qur'anic schools in Taraba State to facilitate policies and decision-making on matters about the system [29]- [31] .

Preceding research has enlightened the historical background of the Tsangaya system of education and Islamic education in Northern Nigeria. The Islamic system of education is one of the two foreign systems of education that have significantly impacted the lives of the people of Nigeria. Many fields of discipline in Islamic sciences were thought of, this includes the Glorious Qur'an, Hadith, Fiqh, Sirah, and others fields [32] . The system of Islamic education was developed and nurtured along with population growth in Nigeria, presently, there are Islamiyya schools, Tsangaya schools, and other Islamic teachers and preachers teaching and spreading Islamic education at different levels. Muhammad, Yusuf, and Bello stated that Tsangaya Qur'anic schools were well-known earlier the arrival of colonialism and their foot soldiers [33] . Babajo, Jamaluddin, and Hamid corroborated that in many of the countries of West Africa, the Qur'anic schools had been well-known before the coming of the colonial masters to the shores of Africa [34] .

Hoechner explained that the Tsangaya system of education has existed for many decades and that its historical development is traced since the early days of the coming of Islam to Nigeria. It has been observed that the system has been a basis for learning Islamic educational training for the dominant Muslim communities of Northern Nigeria [35] . Consequently, Tsangaya as a system of education and learning can be dated back to the 11th century, when the Islamic Empires of Borno (1380s -1893) took charge of Qur'anic literacy, under the leadership of the then Shehun Borno El-Kanemi. The Borno Empire was a state in what is now north-eastern Nigeria, in time becoming even larger than Kanem Borno, incorporating areas that are today parts of Chad, Niger, Sudan, and Cameroon. Seven centuries later another Islamic state was founded in Sokoto, through a reformer and leader of the Sokoto Caliphate, Uthman bin Fodio (also known as Usman Dan Fodio) (1754-1817), establishing Islamic laws and teaching of the glorious Qur'an [36]- [41] .

Hence, the aforementioned empires have introduced and established what is currently called the Tsangaya system of education [42] . Young children often go to Tsangaya schools to learn daily comfortably from their homes and return when school hours are over. They happily live with their parents while receiving a good moral upbringing and guidance for further steps in life. Before the arrival of the British colonialists in the country, a lot of parents sent their children to the known as Makarantar Allo which refers to the curved wood object (slate) that the Qur'anic verse and chapters are written on and recited by the students [43], [44] .

Odumosu, Odekunle, Bolarinwa, & and Taiwo, observed that the creation of Qur'anic learning centers in the Northern part of the country happened at the beginning of the eleventh century [45] . On their part, Babajo et al, the discussion centred on the establishment of the Tsangaya system of education in Northern Nigeria dating back to the colonial era. Ayuba argues that the Tsangaya system of education was initiated in the prophetic era [46] . Equally, Adamu also hints at and highlights the development and establishment of the Tsangaya system of education by saying that the practice started as a result of the Da'wah of Prophet Muhammad (may peace and blessings of Allah be upon him). Moreover, Adamu also observes that the system of the Tsangaya learning in northern Nigeria has been divided into two; a basic level, which is called Kutb, and a more advanced level called Madrasa [47] . Besides, he explains that the system of Tsangaya education is that it serves as a centre for the acquisition of knowledge whereby both the teachers and the students travel wide out of their places of origin and most cases stay there for a long period for recitation and memorization of the Glorious Qur'an [48] .

Additionally, Jungudo exposed that after the colonial masters seized the mantle of leadership from the traditional rulers in the northern part of Nigeria, the system of Qur'anic education had lost the necessary care and power to stand on its own. Therefore, in some cases, the teachers send the students to work on farms or do other petty jobs, and others beg on the streets and get food as well as some money to pay the weekly dues while their counterparts in secondary schools are enjoying full support from the government. Usman relates that concerning the system of Tsangaya learning, the pattern and curriculum are normally limited to the recitation and memorization of the Glorious Qur'an [49] .

The research methodology adopted in this paper is a qualitative research approach. There are a variety of ways to collect data for survey-based research, the most popular of which are interviews and questionnaires. However, the primary data used for research is obtained through the field survey. Finding and gathering reference materials that are relevant to this research is the first of three processes the researcher adopted when putting this piece together [27], [50], [51] .

The survey is descriptive research, entailing studying a situation in its natural setting with the view to generate data and analyze findings for decision-making. Accordingly, a survey study was employed owing to its advantage of focusing on the people or events and their sociological facts. Structured interview questions tailored to reflect the objectives, research questions, and hypothesis of the research were administered to Qur'anic school proprietors /teachers across the State. Thirdly, the researcher concludes the research by highlighting the outcome of the research for further study [52]- [56] .

Addressing the plights of Tanagaya Qur’anic schools is a shared responsibility, requiring a comprehensive and sustainable reorientation, stimulating multi-sectorial engagements to neap the lingering challenges with the view to ensure effective value-chain and meeting the ever-changing scenarios of human life. This survey hopes that the findings should be taken with all sense of seriousness and that the recommendations made should be implemented with an appropriate dose of sincerity and greater commitment.

Recommendations

Based on the findings of this research, the following recommendations are proffered:

Acknowledgements

The author would like to thank the editors and anonymous reviewers for their assistance in improving the quality of research documents.

Author Contribution

The author contributed equally to the main contributor to this paper, some are as chairman, member, financier, article translator, and final editor. All authors read and approved the final paper.

Conflicts of Interest

The author declares no conflict of interest.