Medico-social Problems of Itinerant Qur'anic Scholars in Kano

Abstract

Background: Previous workers have reported several social and health problems faced by itinerant Qur'anic scholars in parts of northern Nigeria. Objective: To describe the characteristics and medico-social problems of itinerant Qur'anic scholars in Kano. Design: A cross sectional descriptive study. Methods: Structured interview questionnaires were administered to 115 Qur'anic scholars in Kano city in order to obtain information about their medico-social problems. Results: All were males whose ages ranged between five and 26 years with a median age of 11 years. Ninety five percent of the scholars had not attended primary school. Their social problems included parental deprivation (100 percent), illiteracy (95 percent), food insecurity (61 percent) and sleeping in overcrowded conditions. Fifty eight (50 percent) of them were involved in fighting, five (4.3 percent) in rioting and two (1.7 percent) were engaged in stealing. Their health problems comprised mainly dermatological diseases and haematuria. Conclusion: Serious efforts should be made by the authorities to reform the itinerant Qur'anic educational system.