ADULT EDUCATION PROBLEMS AND OPPORTUNITIES IN NIGERIA
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1 THE STUDY’S BACKGROUND
Adult and non-formal education is designated as the best tool for lifelong learning in the National Policy on Education (2004). Section 6 of the Policy outlines the goals of adult and non-formal education, which include providing functional literacy and continuing education for adults and youths, education for different categories of formal education system completers to improve their basic knowledge and skills, in-service, on-the-job, vocational and professional training for different categories of workers, and providing adult citizens of the country with necessary aesthetics, culture, and education.
According to Onyenemezu (2003), Adult Education in Nigeria is more than just literacy or remedial education to fill a gap. That it is what everyone needs and wants as long as they are alive, regardless of previous education. This viewpoint is consistent with Nasir (1979), who stated that Adult Education included many of the subjects learned in school for those who did not have the opportunity.
Dave (1973) argued previously that Adult Education aims to provide lifelong education that prepares individuals for change and fosters a dynamic frame of mind in individuals. This is due to the fact that the world, including technology, communication, and industry, is constantly changing. Humans’ desire to learn is thus constant in order to keep up with the changes.
Bown and Okedara (1981) correctly described this desire for lifelong learning as ‘cradle to grave.’ It is hoped that by equipping individuals with lifelong skills and knowledge, Nigeria will be able to achieve the millennium development goals of eradicating extreme poverty and hunger, achieving universal primary education, promoting gender equality and empowering women, reducing child mortality, improving maternal health, combating HIV/AIDS, malaria, and other diseases, ensuring environmental sustainability, and developing global partners (Federal Government of Nigeria, 2004).
Adult education has a hit-or-miss history, beginning with strong rhetoric, promises, and expectations and ending in limited success, neglect, and disappointment in far too many cases. Adult education has become entwined with the larger agenda of education and development at the level of discourse rather than action.
It has too often been confined to a narrow interpretation of literacy skills in the arena of action (Umar,Eshak, Bichi, &Aujara, 2010). However, in developing countries where financial and human resources are scarce, such as Nigeria, most governments prioritize other sub-sectors of the education system over adult education.
In fact, many people have been prevented from exercising their right to education due to socioeconomic, political, cultural, and natural factors (the Universal Declaration of Human rights to Education). As a result of these factors, a greater proportion of a country’s population does not benefit from the formal education system.
Many people who entered various levels of formal education did not achieve their educational goals. Adults in society are obviously the most affected by these factors, as many of them may have dropped out of formal schooling as illiterates or illiterates. The field of adult education is undergoing a major transition as a result of the new economy and the demands and interests of learners in the new economy in the twenty-first century, necessitating research into the problems and prospects of adult education in Nigeria.
1.2 THE PROBLEM’S STATEMENT
Adult education, more than any other profession, changes the social and psychological minds of adults, restores lost hope, and liberates them from the prejudice that they are incapable of learning. Adult education arouses adult learners’ environmental (social, economic, cultural, and political) and psychological potentials and hidden abilities. It also has a huge impact on the larger society in terms of national development (Onyenemezu, 2012).
Adult education in Nigeria faces numerous challenges, including inadequate funding, failures of the UBE act to recognize Adult and Non-Formal Education as a key sector of basic education, and so on.
1.3 THE STUDY’S OBJECTIVES
The following are the study’s objectives:
1. To investigate adult education issues in Nigeria.
2. To investigate the future of adult education in Nigeria.
3. To investigate the Adult Education component in Nigeria.
1.4 QUESTIONS FOR RESEARCH
1. What are the adult education issues in Nigeria?
2. How do you see the future of adult education in Nigeria?
3. What constitutes adult education in Nigeria?
1.5 THE STUDY’S IMPORTANCE
The following are the Research Project‘s implications:
1. The findings of this study will inform the general public about the issues and prospects of adult education in Nigeria.
2. This research will also serve as a resource base for other scholars and researchers interested in conducting additional research in this field in the future, and if applied will go so far as to provide new explanations for the topic.
1.6 STUDY SCOPE AND LIMITATIONS
This study on the problems and prospects of adult education in Nigeria will address all of the challenges of adult education in Nigeria in order to plan a better future for that subsector of the Nigerian education system.
STUDY LIMITATIONS
Financial constraint- Inadequate funding tends to impede the researcher’s efficiency in locating relevant materials, literature, or information, as well as in the data collection process (internet, questionnaire and interview).
Time constraint- The researcher will conduct this study alongside other academic work. As a result, the amount of time spent on research will be reduced.
REFERENCES
R. Dave (1973), Life Long Education and Alcohol, UNESCO Institute of Education, Hamburg.
Federal Republic of Nigeria (2004), Abuja Government Printer, National Policy on Education.
I.S. Nzeneri (2002). Adult education principles and practice handbook Goodway printing press in Onitsha
E.C. Onyenemezu (2003). Adult education and the challenges of the twenty-first century in Nigeria Education and practice (3), pp. 1–7
L. Bown and LT Okedara (1981) An Introduction to Adult Education Research, lbadan: University Press Ltd.
‘Supplemental secondary education for poor families,’ M. Haggai and L. Mang, Nigerian Journal of Curriculum Studies, VoL 10, 2.
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ADULT EDUCATION PROBLEMS AND OPPORTUNITIES IN NIGERIA