more than 800 years ago at timbuku,in mail,colleges provided advanced education,katsina,in northern nigeria,has been a center of learning since before the sixtenth century,it was there that,about 200 years ago,muhammed ibn muhammed became noted as a specialist in numerology.
the aforementioned cities were dominated by moslem culture,and mosques were the centers of learning however the cost of learning under tutorship of mallams was very high and so few persons could afford it.the educated minority exercised tremendous influence, and were the key administrators,lawyers and clerks .but the majority remained illiterate.
in the non-moslem, sub-saharan cultures,education was largely nonliterate,by oral instruction rather than by use of reading material,educational systems varied from tribe to tribe,and there were different degrees and levels of training,depending on the social and cultural development of particular tribe,the training covered a fairly widerange ,with speciallized instruction at different age levels,each educational system had specific forms of preparation for the roles of individuals in society .a look at the system of education among the yorubas in precolonial nigeria illustrates this.
specialized training for boys focused on farming ,working in metals and wood ,hunting and the use of herbs and drugs in medicine ,skills were passed on from father to son,inclination and natural abilities also were considered,and children were encouraged to develop their aptitudes.therefore,many were apprenticed to artisans outside the family clan,girls received training in weaving and dyeing cloth.