 This education is guided by a teacher known as a marabout.In most cases talibés leave their parents to stay in the daara.Within Senegal, the term "talibé" can be used in a wider context, “for instance to denote a militant adherent of a political party.”

The talibé's relationship with his marabout is one of “devotion and strict obedience.” The marabout provides “guidance, protection, and intercession” for the talibé.