Education is a topical issue in a quest for national development. Nigeria, like any other developing nation of the world, requires quality education for growth and development.

Education over the years, has been known to be a critical driver of people’s development.

However, development is not only guaranteed through formal education as believed in many quarters, adult education also holds a significant potential for impacting positively on the nation’s growth and development.

Adult and formal education are recognised in Nigeria’s third national development plan as clearly spelt out in the national policy on education of 2006.

Education, for both adult and other younger members of the society, who did not have an opportunity of going through formal school is encouraged.

Adult education is also as old as man himself. In ancient time for instance, the study of autonomy was launched and done by adults, so also is the study of Law, Medicine, among others.

In Nigeria, before the colonial era, service scheme like administration was reserved for adults, although adult education is chief, and without any guide to its vocational value.

Its major focus was first and foremost to make adults in the community aware of individual and community needs, and secondly, to get educated in order to cope with and tackle immediate problem(s). Since this system of education is directed at the older people, its curriculum should be based on principle, needs and problems.

Adult and non-formal education should embrace the solution of problem in a democratic society such as ours, but UNESCO was the first to express concern for adult education.

Good adult education may be organised in three ways- the first is to train adults to get a qualification. It is also to design a national mass education programme, such as mass literacy programme in Nigeria, including getting academic qualification. Besides, it is a training programme for adults in specific skills.

The purpose of adult literacy education, indeed, of all institutions, is to help move people from whatever level of consciousness they operate in presently, to the level of critical consciousness, wherein they can ask questions about things around them and change their lives in ways to be determined by themselves.

In a view of unanimous benefits derivable from adult and non-formal education, it is imperative that government at all levels, creates an enabling environment through the provision of adequate materials and facilities as required.

Enough sanitization must also be carried out at the grass roots for the benefit of adults who want to go through non-formal education.

Paying attention to this mode of education will naturally increase citizens’ accessibilty to literacy and stimulate development potentials in them. In the longrun, this will have a multiplier effect on national, social, and economic growth.

Afolabi Oluseyi Isreal,
Department of Mass Communication,
University of Maiduguri.
Borno State.

Comments (0)

Show/hide comments

Show/hide comment form

Name

Email

Website

Title

Comment

smaller | bigger

Subscribe via email (registered users only)

I have read and agree to the Terms of Usage.

Add Comment