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AVAILABILITY AND ADEQUACY OF ADULT EDUCATION PROGRAMME

Abstract

Adult Education is an essential aspect of education that provides adult learner the opportunity to acquire basic knowledge that they are unable to acquire where they were young. The research work was carried out in Odeda Local Government Area of Ogun State using fifty adult learners and instrument for data collection was questionnaire. The recommendations made on the available and adequacy of adult education are that government should assist adult learners in all aspects materials and funeral. More instructors should be employed to make adult education more assessable to more adult learners.   

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1     Backgrond of the Study

Nigeria was colonized by Brittan. The British government had clearly defined policy on education for Nigeria before 1925. Education activities in the colony were managed by colonial administrations, in consultation with Christian missions and their home offices (Fafunwa, 1974).

In 1922, a commission set up by the Phelps stokes fund to look into education in west and equatorial African, which included Nigeria, produced a report titled. Education in African. The report emphasized the need for a policy on adult and community education (Fafunwa 1974). The commissions recommendation for the development and institution of a policy on adult education represented the first key formed acknowledgment of the need to develop adult education along side youth education or schooling.

The commission further stressed the education of the entire community if education was to result in meaningful development. To educate the children at school while the adult population remained largely illiterate and uneducated amounted to a grossly in adequate utilization of education in development.

Following the Phelps- stokes report, the British colonial government issued its first education policy for Nigeria in 1925. The policy and its implementation strategies did not address, in any significant way, community or adult education. Rather, the colonial government concentrated on school education. Consequently, a significant opportunity to begin to develop adult education in Nigeria was missed.

However, in 1951, the central board of education endorsed a policy on adult education the aim of adult education, as articulated in the policy, was to organize remedial primary education for adults. This included basic adult literacy and craft- making. The policy stressed the importance of women’s participation in adult education. Following the policy, adult literacy classes spraing up in many parts of Nigeria. There was considerable enthusiasm for adult literacy among the people and the governments of the three regions of Nigeria East, West and North.

The enthusiasm was particularly strong from 1950 to 1956, but the free primary education schemes initiated from 1955 and 1957 resulted in the waning of the enthusiasm and n decline in the government support for adult literacy. The enormous cost of free primary education left little resources for adult literacy. Thus, the first some what serious attempt at adult education lost steam or even collapsed.

In 1959, the Ashby commission was appointed to determine Nigeria’s human resources needs, as well as the country’ needs for post- secondary education over the next twenty years, 1960 – 1980. Reviewing Nigeria’s primary, secondary and post – secondary education noted that the country had made progress in these levels and recommended further expansion. The commission was, however, curiously silent on adult education consequently, very little attention was paid to its development. Nevertheless, adult education flickered in some communities unattended to by the federal government. It was barely kept alive by regional governments and voluntary agencies.

Nigeria became independent in 1960. Since then, there have been several national development plans articulating the country’s development priorities and strategies.  None of the plans provided a comprehensive framework and impetus for the development of adult education

The Nigerian national policy on education was adopted in 14977 and modified in 1981. The policy provides for equal access to education and commits to the eradication of illiteracy and promotion of life- long learning. Beyond the articulation of desired out comes, nothing mush has been achieved in terries of significant development of adult education. For instance, 28years after the adoption of the policy, the literacy rate for Nigerian’s years and older is about 66% (UNESCO institute for statistic 2004).

There has hardly been a sustainable virile and coherently comprehensive set of programmes demonstrating government commitment to adult education as a strategic priority in Nigeria’s development. Although the National commission for mass literacy, Adult and non-formal education was established in 1990 to monitor and coordinate adult education programmes, as well as to conduct research related to the development of adult and non- formal education in the country.

The consequences of neglect and agenda for action education programmes continue to operate mainly as disparate, piecemeal activities that are not integrated into a coherent, purposeful strategy in pursuit of a national development vision. Many governments sponsored adult education activities have been due to inadequate funding, and lackadaisically implemented owing largely to a historical lack of passion and vision for adult education as both a strategic goal and an instrument for national development.

Adult education curricula are hardly for ward- looking or responsive to the strategic needs of the economy or to the personal, social and political development needs of the vast majority of Nigerian adults.

Frameworks for organizing and delivering programmes are hardly innovative .or forward- looking the lack or inadequacy of physical and instructional facilities. In government owned adult education training center is indicative of the neglect and marginal status of adult education (Aderioye, 2002).

Inadequate commitment to the development of adult education is not unique to Nigeria, it is a typical phenomenon in most African countries. A number of factors account for the underdevelopment of adult education and education generally in African (Omolewa, 2000; World Bank, 2001). They include “the constraints of funding, lack of continuity of policy, increasing huge debt, problem of gender and language” (Omolewa, 2000, p. 15).

1.2     Statement of the Problem

There appears to be two groups of people holding different view about the availability and adequacy of adult education programme in Odeda Local Government. The first group of people is of the view that there are enough literacy centres, vocational centres and a host of other adult education centres staging adult education programme in the state. This set of people believe that these are performing well in all ramifications.

On the contrary, the second group of people is of the opinion that the problem which adult education programmes support to address are still wide spread in the state.

For instance, poverty is on the increase and the incidence of unemployment among adults is better imagined that explained. The question this group of people seems to be asking is why are these problem still persisting despite the staging of adult education programmes?

The ambiguity in their view triggers the curiosity of the researcher to investigation into whether.

Adult education programmes have really brought relief to the entire people of Ogun State.

1.3     Purpose of the Study

The purpose of the study is to investigate the availability and adequacy of adult education programmes in Odeda Local Government Area of Ogun State.

Specifically, the study sought to find out whether:

(i)                 Adult education programmes are available in the Odeda Local Government?

(ii)               Adult education programmes are frequently staged in Odeda Adult Education centre any difference.

(iii)             Adult education programmes are of any benefit to the community members.

1.4     Research Questions

The following research questions are posed for the study:

(i)                 Are adult education programmes available in Odeda Local Government?

(ii)               Are adult education programmes frequently staged in Odeda Adult Education Centre?

(iii)             What are the benefits derived from adult education by the community members?

1.5     Significance of the Study 

This study is significant in a number of ways. Firstly, the study is invaluable to the financiers or benefactors of adult education programmes, some of which are the Federal and State governments, UNESCO, UNICEF, as well as other numerous organisation, individuals and foundations. These donor agencies do not in any way encourage waste, mismanagement or fraud.

Thus, prudence, accountability and transparency on the part of benefiting adult education centres is required. This study is significant in that regard. Since it serves as an independent and objective evaluation of the adult education programmes in the state.

Besides on completion, the study would assist adult education centres in evaluating the performance vis-à-vis their efforts in staging adult edition programmes. The study would also serve as a guide to adult education centres in identifying problems associated with community members in the state.

The state and local government areas would also find this study useful. This is because both levels of government would have in-depth knowledge of the adult education programmes in their respective local government areas as well as the state.

The result from the findings would to large extent guide the federal and state government in knowing where to give priority to when it comes to revenue and project allocation. Those who would equally find the study significant are researches who may wish to replicate it with a view to advancing the frontier of knowledge.

1.6     Scope of the Study

This study examined the availability and adequacy of adult education programmes in Odeda Local Government Area of Ogun State.

1.7     Definition of Terms

The following terms have been defined as they will be used in the study;

-                      Availability: Is the proportion of time a system is in a functioning condition. It is often described as a mission capable rate. 

-                      Adequacy: Is the quality of being sufficient for the end in view, “he questioned the sufficiency of human intelligence”.

-                      An adult: Is a human being or living organism that is of relatively mature age, typically associated with sexual maturity and the attainment of reproductive age.

-                      Education: Education is the formal process by which society deliberately transmits its accumulated knowledge, skills, customs and values from one generation to another, e.g. instruction in schools. 

-                      Programme: Programme is used in all cases except for computer code, in which case program is generally used.

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