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Author 1 NGWU, P. N. C.

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Title

Identification and Analysis of Problems in Adult Nonformal Educational Practice:

The Case of Adult Education Organizers in Anambra State

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Description

Identification and Analysis of Problems in Adult Nonformal Educational Practice:

The Case of Adult Education Organizers in Anambra State

Category Education

Publisher Institute of Education, Ahrmadu Bello University

Publication Date 1984

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SarlJclel C. Aleyideirlo Ralplr A. Ol? JOJU wa Muktar Abd~rrralrir~ar? Micheel I. A yoni' I.;rdoruruo anrllijoko Derroll L . DuI3ey Sornuel Olugbnrni Susnnr~al~ K. M. Crow

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A JOURNAL OF THE INSTITUTE OF EDUCATION, AHMADU BELL0 UNIVERSITY

Volume 7 Number 1 ; * June 1!W

ARTICLES

K. C. Sykes 8 P. M, ~ j b w o n Tho Teaching of f3~aille in Nigeria

, . 1

K. C. Sykes Print Roading for Visually Handicapped Children 11

0. Williams Acceptability of Nigerian English for Academic Purposes 17

C. Opsra I .

., Tho Art of Questioning in the Classroom i 33

A. Abdulahi Science Education Research

,. 41

P. Okpala & C. Onocha Attitudes of Integraed Sdence Teachers Towards Assessmerlt Practice

I

51 N. Okoh

Construct Validation 07 the 'lbrrance Tests of Creative Thinking: a cross-cultural Study 63 I

R. Sayles The ~ ~ ~ - b ~ - ~ o r r e s ~ o n d e n c e in Science Education Project 71 I

F. 0. Ogunbayo I

i

Teaching by Objectives and Science Teachers 77 F ) N. C. Ngwu

ldontification and Analysis of Problems inAdult Non- formal Education Practice: the Case of Adult Education Organizers in Anambra State 83

I E. 0. Ojeme

Student 'I-cac!ws' Perception of their Teactiing Practice Experience in Physical Education: an Exploratory Study

M. I. A yeni Learning Orientations of Participants it1 the Nigeria certificate in Education ~orresponhence Progran1n1e

F. D ~ I T I ~ O / ( O Students Prornotiori Policies and Practices in Nigeria11 Post Primary lnsti tutions

0. FajenMaglh Proportiorial Reasoning in Nigerian Local Maflats

G. M. Awipi Attitudes of Consuniers in Lagos Metropolis Towards Quality of Common Household Goo,cjs

S. M. I<. Crow INDEX

' RESEARCH NOTES Et ABSTRACTS

B. I<. Olorur~ltooba Developing Tests in thc Visual Arts: the Zaria T ~ s t of

b Artistic Ability .n

BOOK REVIEWS

/.A. Olaofe . Literacy and Reading in Nigeria, Volume 1

2. S. A1iyr.1 Teaching English in the Primary School

O 1984 Institrrto of Education, Ahrnadu Bello University.

No part of this publication may be rcproduccci, stored in a retrieval sysrcln or trarlsrrliltctl in any form or by any means, electronic, magnetic tape, mechanical, phutocupyir~y, recording - or otlicrwise, without pcrlnissiorl in writing from tlic pub1i:;lwrs.

Identification and Analysis of Problems in Adult Nonformal Education Practice: the Case of Adult Education Organisera in Anarrrbra State

Approaches to problems and needs assessmerrt which go beyond rrrere errrtnreration of problenrs and groupirrg them in,to clusters altrrost always foctrs attention on identifying karners' needs and problerrrs. Litt le or not atterrtion is paid to iderrtfljirrg and anaiysing problents which practitiorters face in tire field. III this paper, IjfrolaJ.r dialectical trrodel of needs negotiatiorr is used to develop problemr pro files of (1 partict~l~lrr grorrp itr volved irr oddt rrortforrrral education work-adult educaiiorr orgarrisers in Arrunrbra State. A sfrortetred Jorrrr of the Delphi technique was used to identify the problettrs tftey faced irr tfreir work. 7he prohlenrs so identified were arralysed by the ttrearrs of I lorton und Leslie's social scierrtifi'c irrquiry method.

I t wasf~und out that there are sjx major problerrrs faced by the crdult education orgarrisers irr o w sanrple. They are irr order of irrtportance: luck of trcritred yersorrnel; lack of ,

frrrrd.~/resources; inadequate urrderstandirrg of adult nonfornrul edrrcation by Nigerians; :

irrsrrfJiciertt cornrrritnrent by the g' vernnrenl; inadequate orgarri.ratiort and curriculrrrn; and Y luck of tratuj~ortation and other irrcerrtives for adult education workers.

Tire atralysis and ciiscussbtr of the problems revealed that them is a dialectical relutionship betwc~err eadr of these itroble~rrs; arrd tfris revolves arorrnd tlrc* problem c,/ lack of orl urrtonorrrorrs irrstitutional franrework urtder which udrrlt rrorrJor~rra1 educatiort irr Nigeria cat1 be orgpnized and coordinated.

Hecorrrnrendations for the solrttion of these problenrs were ntude by the adult educatiotr orgarrisers and also in the process c?/discussion arrd analysis.

Wprld experience, especially in tlie last quarter century, has denionstrated that adult ~iotifortrlal education progralnrnes have beeti lcss than successfu1.l A review of approaches la tllc planning atid imple~rienlatioli of such prograninies (Uhola, 1978; Evans, 1981) '

. suggests Illat assurliptions regarding appropriate nictliods of planning have been misleading. 01ic swli assuntption arises fro111 ~pproac l~es to the identificatioti and analysis of ticeds and probletns, wliich are generally called needs nsscssnlent. Corlterriporary approaches focus ~r~ucti more attt.~ition on the problenis and needs o f tlie pcoplc for wlio111 the prograrlirncs are dcsig~icd 1lin11 on ttic needs and proble~ns of the progratnrnc facililr~tors. One aiajor cause of I';\ilure of adult r~o~iforrnal cdrlcatio~i is ignorance of the coastraitits wliicll l ~an~pc r the pri~ctice of devclopnient work.

Adult nonfornlal educa t io~~ is a mode of education conc:erned with changing lives for the better among diverse grollps of people-the poor, the disadvantaged, the une~lrployed, ctc.- in n l a ~ g i ~ ~ a l and urban areas. Adult nor~formal ducatio ion practice comprises 8n ialaie~isely diverse co!!ectios of educatio~~al activities seekir~g to accomplish sucll mnjor tasks 41s tile eradication of illiteracy, the development of skills, and the ~ m t ~ a g e ~ n e n t of cliange (Nigerian Natio~ial Council for Adult Education, 1973). All these tasks'i~rvolve change processes; and cllallge itself is fulldalllellt~l to the elnergerwe of proble~ns. Sucl~ problems, i f not properly identified, annlysed and attended to, may become recurrent. Furthermore, udike olller modes of educat io~~, adult nonfor~i~al educt~tion is very much in a state of ! dcvelop~lieot and this presents its own peculiar problems for development workers in the field.

' I

I'ro~n one perspective, problctas ill adult no~~forn ia l education practice ure generated by I:

the ever heavier de~riands made upon individuals, groups, organisations and society in general by accelerating rates of social change. And in another sense, the state of the art in adult nonformnl educatioo is such that practitioners still have a deal with problenls of under- develop~eent of the discipline.

An exnrnination of the literature on sucll a topic as ours presents immediate difficulties in distinguisl~ing the differewes between 'problems', 'needs', 'aspirations', 'wants', 'goals', 'issues', etc. The tern1 'problem' is often used intercllange~tbly with these otlrer terms. 111 this pnpcr, we will use ~)roblenl to meail 'a situation requiring solutioo or anieloratiou', and we will nssuiw that ~~retllods of needs analysis or assessment can equally be applied to problem idcntil'icatiotl anti analysis.

Problem ldentlflcation a n d analysls as an aspec t of p l a ~ ~ n i n g

Planning adult oonfortnal education at tile programrile level traditionally involves a seqtleace of steps iticludir~g needs assessnlcnt, fornlalion of goals arld objectives, evaluntion of alterr~ative procedures I'or n~eeti~ig tlbe objectives, monitori~ig of i~nplenicnfation and evaluation of tile outconles (Evans, 1981:79). 'I'lie processes involved ill p rob lm i~identilicatiori and analysis can be rightly considered as p~c-pli~nning activities or an asjml of needs nsscss~ncat. Needs assessment ill adult tionformaJ education itself traditionally involves processes of rcsearcliitlg, interviewing, observit~g, discussion, developing needs profilcs and ~legotiating to devclop a list of needs (Ullola, 1979:85, 87). Ilut the focus is alalost always on learners.

One of the reasoils for tlie slow development and adoptiou of adult nonformal etlucatiot~ programmes nnd practice is that appropriate nlctllods of' identificatio~l and analysis of problenls encou~ltered by practitioners in the field are llot used. Very often, programme planners, policy makers and educationists for~riulate progra1r;lme objectives on the basis of a certain amoutlt of knoWledge anti perception of problems of practice, but this knowlctlge is nt best uno~ganised and often crratradictory. Also ~llosl ol' those irlvolvetl in adult nonlorr~~al edt~caticlj~ progl.iillllne design are co~isultants, and 'civil servitnts or politiciails who are far renloved fro111 the anxieties of the situation. Evans (1 98 1 :72) li~~iients that: i

I >

l'he lilerature is full of exnn~ples from both formal and nonformal educaliori of inal)propriak projects b ~ s c d on learning needs arliculakd by pla~iners living and working outside the arms which the progranmes were intended.

i Bhola (1979:78) also complains:

Those of ua who work in the field. aurroundnl by everyday realities. have come to understand the constrdnh withill whlch social action takes place. We realise that quitr: often governments at the central, provincial. and district levels liave already made up their minda al~out what n d s to be done, that there Is in reality little room to manocuver, that often the whole process of so-call4 nctds assessment is a fraud serving no useful purpose.

The tendency on the part of many arlthors writing on the topic of 'problems' o; 'issues' is just to enunlerate and group probletns into clusters (Ngwu, 19132). And these problems arc repeated so often that they are accepted will~out being properly formulated. In so doing, Iiowcver, policy makers and plnnners are creating more problerris instead of solving old and present olies. Such problcrns that are recognisetl for planning purposes without proper exe~i~ination are seldom the problems faced by adult nonformal educators in the field or ever) by the people for who111 the prograrrmes are desigtled. The burden of tile argunlent in this paper is that i t is not enough to just enumerate problenls and discuss tllcrn. Specific nletllocls nrid tcchnirlucs have to be used it1 probler~l idertlificalion, a rd ettcl~ problem so ideetified has lo be fortnulatetl withir~ a fran~ework of analysis wl~icli exar~rincs srtcl! u problem in all its ratnificutions. 'I'his will help erlsure that plati~icrs of adult t~oaforaial edwation deal with fairly clear problem a ~ i d define goals and objectives whiclr are bucked up by sulilnlary itiformation and data. I t is also ituportarit to make sure that \~ l~a tever techtiiq~~c or n~etllod uclopted is appropriate to the type of situation under study.

I Conceptual f ramework ..

1 There are several models and approaches to problems or need:$ assessment in the literature on plarirled cliauge in educatio~r (see for example Goodlad, 1970; Umnns, 1972; Ilttvelock, 1973). 'I'hese tnodels go beyond mere enurneration and grcwping of problems to provide systenlatic teclloiques and procedures for the identification and analysis of problems or ~icetls. According to Dllola (1982). these ~ ~ ~ o d e l s are situatio~i-specific strategy and tactical models of interveetio~;,'.and may vary frotn counselling, r.l~rongh problcrn-solving, team building, , t rakct ior lal analysis, on ~orgaaisational dsvelopnier~t), trouble-sliooli~~g, i!lforrnation managcnienl, to ir~strucliot~al development. Techniques and procedures tikc brain-storn~ing, survey feedback, Delphi techt~ique, force-field analysis, syt~ectics. discrepar~cy evaluation tecliniques and a host of otliers are used to carry out processes required in the ~r~odels.

Dliola's (1979:77-93) dialectical mode of r~eeds ncgotiaticm provides a perspective on how to ocllieve participatory plannitig of cllange programmes in relati011 to the definition of r~eeds or problems. Ile suggests tlic adoption of a process of negotiatio~~ between needs or * problems as determined by the elite or policy makers and needs or problen~s as felt by the progranlnle participa~ils or learners. 111 such a way, the l ~ a t i o ~ ~ a l j~rogra~nrne/visio~ls of the clite could be reirive~itetl it1 local settings of con~nluriities. He reconrn~er~ds training in sctuitivity for development workers wliicti specifically irivolves experirllentiag with group dynamics techniques so that prograrlirne facilitators 'bwomc rnore perceptive, sharpen w r ~ ~ i ~ i v i ~ i c s . a ~ ~ i I ri~isc. tlwir i~w:rt.c~~cs' .

In applying the rnotlel to develop a aeetls/problems profile, needs/probletns emerge tllrough a process of researching, discussion' and negotiating. Developing a r~eeds profile

works in two ways. First, one slioultl identify specific interest groups and subcultures witlii~i the comuiunity, c.g. youth, woinen, literacy instructors. One should think of buildiag licctls profiles for eacli of tliese groups separately. Secondly, one sl~ould develop differeul needs profiles of' the snme group, e.g., in the colilext of WOIIII :~, matry difiererit profijes of 11ecds may emerge such as needs of rnrnl worncti as perceiwd by tlieni, their I~usba~ids, rural teachers, priests, literacy workers, policy makers at slate a td federrrl level, etc.

Once tliese different profiles are available. the process of needs egoti ti at ion begins so as to devclop a conirnon list of needs n11d obtain a situatio~i-specific ugerida for a pnrticulnr cotiir~iuriity or nrea at a particular time and place.

'I'liis didectical rnodel allows one to co~ice~)tualise steps ill needs/proble~ns asscss~iie~it. In the first place, we identify spcciul groups and subcultures involved in adult nonfor~iial education work. I'llcn, we develop a profile of probleaiu lkced by that group as perceived by the group itself and others. 'l'hese profiles may be used, finelly, to generate a list of proble~iis nbout the full rungc,of practicc that aji adult educator may have to engage in 10 carry out tasks in a prpgraailiic successfully.

. . prodladwe for t he fdentlflcatlon of problems

In tliis paper, we will identify problc~ns in adult nonfor~nal educution practice as perceived by adult education field officers in A~rulnbrn State, Nigeria, using a sliortetied for111 of tlie Delphi tecliniquc. Delplii is a group dy~ia~iiic tecli~iique, and a situatio~i-spccil'ic strategy of intervc~ition. According Lo Li~isto~ie and Turoff (1975:3):

The 1)elplii is a nlethod for sl~ucturi~i~ a group cotiiniunica~ioti proms so tlial the process is cr~cclive in allowi~i# a group of itidividunls, as a whole, to deal with co~~iplcx prol~lctiis.

The Delphi teclinique is flexible and nllows for n tailoring effect. 'The tccliniquc I~iis bee11 found to be appropriate in a silualio~r where the probleni does 1101 lend itself to' precise a~ialytical techniques but can bellefit from subjective judgement on a collective basis. As olie of tlie. group dyna~nic tech~iiques ~iie~itioned earlier in tliis paper, i t will afford ntlult etlucators all ol)porlunity lo receive solire triii~iitlg in se~~sitivily which will Irclp tlic~ii beco~iie Inore perceptive o f liroblc~~is of practice ill their work. 'l'he work situntion of adult cducatio~i organisers ill A11anibr.a Stirte is s ~ ~ c l i tIiaI they arc gericrally dispersed ill loci11 goverli~nelit hcndqui~rters, and are tliercfore too fiir away from eacli other to have ally opportunity) for discussio~~ arid review of issues and p r o b l c ~ ~ s of practice.

'I'lre following scctio~i will illuslrule tlic use of ;I sliorteaed for111 of the Dclplii tccliniquc to ider~tify problc~iis iri adult nonfornial educiition practice. We will tlien discuss the probleeis so idenlified using n sociological framework of analysis.

A ~lirce-day seriri~iar on ;'l~iiproving the Effcclive~icss of tlie Adult Educator' was orga~iised for the 36 adult educatio~i orga~iisers working in all the 23 locnl govern~i~cr~t arcas of Atinnibra St;ite (as at ~ j h i l 1982). '1'11e se~ni~ ia r wns Iicld 111 the Conti~iuing Uducalion Cc~~ t r e , University o f Nigcria, Nsukka from 16-18 Ucceniber 15180, and was sponsored by the Ikpartnie~it o f Adult Educa t io~~ & Extra-mural Studies, University ol' Nigc~in, Ns~~kkii illid the h.1i11istl.y of Educaticm, B~rugu. Ihr ing tlic scnii~iar participnnls listc~ied to Ixllwrs p~ese~ited by lectu~crs irrid took p ~ r t in the discussions wliicli idmost always I~ighliglited proble~~is of pri~ctice. l'liey were tlierel'ore co~ifronled with several lists of proble~m and

! !

\ rensiked, to some approaches to solving them. On the third day of the seminar, after h e first session, the participants were asked to write down three 'common' and 'recurrent' problem wl~ich they face in their work.

0111 of 30 participants, 28 took part in this problctn-ide~ttificatio~l exercise, each listing tltree problen~s. 'l'lte lists w,crp shuffled and distributed to tltc ipurticipants rn~tdomly, so that each person received i~~forrnation about how another member of tltc profession perceives the problems. 'Tlte participants were then asked to sit in groups of five. Each group was asked to r ~ l l k the probletns listed according to frequency of occurrence on the lists they have, so as to determine the co~~trnonly-felt problcn~s. Wltere tltcrc was disagreclneltt among gtoup tncrnbers as to which cutegory a listed problenl belonged, the group asked the otlter groups. 'I'ltus i t was ensy to reach vonsensus on the categories of' problems cnurneratcd. 'l'lte followillg six problcl~l cateogries as in Table I . ti

Table 1: Problem Areos in Adult Nonforrnal Education Practice in Anambra State as Perceived by Adult E cation Organisers

, Problem Frequency

lnsuffieicnt conlmilnlcnl by tlic ~)ovcrnnicnt lnadquntc trrincd pcrsonncl lnadcquatc organisation/curriculurn lnadquatc undcrstandin~ of adult education Lack of funds Lack of Ira~~porlation and othcr incentives

for wor kcrs in adult cdi~catioil

Purtl~ermore, each of these six problem areas were discussed in depth as they affected adult and nonfornlal education programmes and as they affected the organism individually. Answers were sought for this question: T o w l l ~ t extent are tllese problenls really Italnpcring the dcvelolment and adoptiol~ of adult and no~~fortttal educatio~t practices i n Niserial

111 this way each participant was able to reassess ltis own list of problc~tts on the basis of ittfor~nution about other pnrticipants' perccptiolt ol' tlte problems. I t was believed that as an aspect of the Delphi technique, this approacll could have a significant i~npact o n some palticipa~tts' pcrctlptio~t of problclns. As a result, some of Illem discovered Itow their ow11 problctns differed from tllose of the others a d Llre degree to wl~icll such discrepancy resulted holn fnctors related to adult and nonl'orn~al education prnctice proper.

l'llen. each group was asked to r ~ t e the problcm arens according to the degree of severity and selcct three ntost importa~tt problems front the six categories earlier ide~ttified. They were also free to add on any other problct~t area they recogniscd then as severe and inlpo~tnnt. 'l'ltc problem ratings of tlle five groups did not converge on illty one problcnl area. Tllc ratings arc as follows in Table 2.

I;innlly, each group was asked to rccotnnlend three solutions each for tltc tltree problem catcgories they iderltified as most severe and important. The sulwnary list of solutions r eco~ t~~~re~ lded for each probictn identified by the fivc groups is presented as follows in I'ablc 3.

Table 2: Problem natinge eccordlng to Degroe of Severity end lrnportence by Groupe of Org~nisors

I ~ c k of trained prsonnd .4 lack of fundr/rnu~rrcw 3 Inadquate underatandinn of d u l l nonformal

educntlon by Nlgcrlans 3 Iruulflclent committment hy tbe (ovcrnmerl 2 Innttqunlc or~nr~iantion/c~~rr ict~I~irn 2 1,uck of transportallon and othcr lnccntiva

lor adult ducation workera I

Tsbls 3: Recornrnended Solutions to the Problems by I:he Adult Educotlon Organisere

----- --. - --- A. Imndrgnnte I'nlncd Fcrronncf

I. In-rcrvicc and on-thc-job trnining 2. Regular sctninrrs and workstiopr 3. Proper ittillzntion of rvnllrble manpower 4. Atltllt nonlormal edtrcntion should be incorporated into progratnmes of formal cd~~catlonnl

lristltutions at all lcvcls

I. Participants sl~oultl pay token f m 2. Oovcrnrncnt rhould pay aalrries lo instructors 3. Separate and adequate allocation of funds for adult norifortnnl education 4. Oovcrnrnent cu well as cor~~rriunltlcs should provide mcrt/malcrials and eqiifprnent

C:. lnmdcga~lc llnJcrrlandlng of Adalt/Nonlnimrl ).;ducrllon I. Well-planncd senhars, can~paigna and public cr~ligl~tcnmcnl progrntnnm for all cntegorio of pcoplc 2. Ucttcr and grcatcr ore of mars ritetlin 3. Suirnble cur~iculi~rn nnd morc abunclsnt litcrarurc 4. Ikltcr motivation slrnlcgics

-------A ----- -- U. Insulfldenl Commlfment by fhc <;oycrnmcnf

I. .Formntion of stron8 ndull nonfornral cducntion bodin at all lcvcls . - ' 2. Separate vote for adult nonlorlnal cd~icalion 3 . Con~mon cot~ditions of service for adult nonformal nlucntion staff 4. Oovcrnnient sliotilcl Iiave n policy for ntlult nonlorniel education - -- - - -- - - - - ----- --

k:. lnndcqurte OI~rnlsrllon/C~~~rlc~tti~ni I. h.lit~istry of L'.ducatlori sl~ould provide uniform sclicnics of work and curriculum 2, Adult nonfortnal cdircation should hc zolicd likc prirnai y arid sccondnry cdt~cntion undcr riational

rind State cotnrnlr~ions 3. Adult nonfornml cducetiuti ~xrsotincl should gct informtation on sc~ni~~nrs and confcrenccs and

I t nining plogrrtilrnes

p- --- - F. b c k of Tranrpod cnd Other Incentlvka

I . Special salary grqdcs for offwinis 2. Vehicle loans should be n r a ~ ~ l e d to officials and special vans provided for adult nonfor~nal education 3. Better inccntivcs for officials

Anelysls of the problems .. . .

These problems which have'been.identified are not separate, simple, or readily correctable situations; tjiey are complex phenonien~, er~dlessly inter-related and difficult to analyse objectively. Hence the need for a framework of analysis, whicll will help us to develop an i~ivesti~alive, noa-judgemental, attitude in studying these proble~l~s.

One way to achieve tliis nnd reach an intproved slate of understanding and sensitivity to tl~ese proble~ns is lo exu~ni~ic Illem by adopting what llortori and Leslie (1965: 16) call tlie social scientific attitude, which consists in asking sucl~ questions ns: What is the proble1117 Wliat are the relevant facts bearing upon tlie origirl arid developnicnt of the problem? Wlmt are the various value-judgeraents involved? What are the possibilities for solr~tion? Which policy is most likely to produce 'desirable' results? 'Tl~ese questiorrs will be asked in respect or each of tlie six problems identified. In answering these questiot~s, we hope to provide accurate descriptions ant1 analyses of t l ~ e problcriis and a reasonable perspective upon them. We will also provide a basis for evaluating the participants' proposals for solutio~is and l l ~ e yet-to-be-proposed solul io~~s to variotis aspects of' the proble~r~ situation. In this way, one plays the role of n~~alyst ratlier t l~an nn advocate of givcn types of solutions. Tliis procedure will also sliow the dialectic relationsl~ip bctwecn the probleni areas.

Lack of treinedpersonnel

?'Iris problem is often discussed under such titles like stafling, manpower, training or atlrilinistrative problems. Training for adult trot~formal education personriel is carried out ,in Nigeria at the tertiary level of the education system. The revised Narior~al Policy :of Educalion (1981), section 7 , sub-section 52, paragraph 8, stutcs:

Federal and Stute Ministries will appoint essential basic Adult Educalion Organisers and workcrs on a rcp~la~ baris .... Trainlnp Programmes will lrave lo be n~otrntcd wsinf: the facuitiu of Universities, Teacher Training Colleges a ~ i d otl~er Institulio~u of Ilighcr Ixarning.

, I'liese trainill8 prograrnnk are essentially certificate and diplcma courscs in adult cduculion in sekctcd universities. i W degree programlies werc introduced in the mid-seventies in a I'cw unive~sities. I'oslgrndua~c tlcgrce programn~cs in ndul~ v t l r ~ ~ a ~ i o ~ i iirc also car1 ictl O I I ; I I

Almadu I)ello. Ibadati, Ife and Lagos universities. 'Tl~e practice in personnel! selection a rd trairrit~g in adul~. !wnl'or~nal cducalion is t l ~ n t

elenientary school leacllers Aith the Grade I I Teaclicrs' Certificate are appointed as adult education orpn~iisers when necessary by local governrnellt authorities. 'These organisers appoi~it other elementary school teachers as part-time instructors. No specific training i n adult nonforrnal educatiot~ ij rior~iially requircd for appoi~rt~ne~it as organiser or i~istruclor. l'rai~retl ~)ersonnel ill ndult cducatiol~ is a new development.

Organisers may undergo training later for diplonla or certificate courses. At present the Federal Ministry of Education is funding training progranllncs for organisers and supcrvisors of adult nonforrnal educatio~r in all the s w e s for the purposes of tllc Mass Literr\cy Campaign. The training programmes, which a:re for three ~nonths nnd one yeur respectively, take place in the University of Ibadan, Alrtrradu ljello University and University of Nigeria, Nsukka. ..

Training in comil'unity develop~ncnt, agricultural extension co-operative'educatioa is also carried out at the tertiary level in a few federal and state colleges. Leadership and citizenship traiti'ing is organised for short durations for secondary school pupils, but these rarely go on to work in adult nonformal education capacities.

One scl~ool of thought argues that training i r r the uni\ersities in nun-degree courses for adult i~onformal ed\~cntion personnel as is currently prirrctised whets the appetite of the trainees for more education and thereby incrensea wastage. 0 1 1 the other Ilnnd, some believe that even when they do not continue schooling such training makes tllenl feel too big to work in the kind of conditions found in rural areas.

The irnpressior~ one gets from the results of the Delphi procedure is tllnt there are not enough opportunities for adult nonforlnal educntiotl personnel to be trained. In the first stage of 1)elphi procedure this ~ m b l e a l ranked second and in the second stage i t ranked first with respect to the lligllest nunlber of times individuals a ~ l d groups respectively identified i t as a problem. 'The majority of the participants have participated in sl~ort and long training progranltnes and one can comfortably assunlc that their conccrn is about supporting staff, pnrticularly instructors.

One possibility for training is the establisl~nlent of and/or conversion of s o n ~ e teaclrcr- training colleges to adult nonformal education traitling coll,dges for tllc trnining of full-tinle operatives, iilstructors and field workerg. Co-operative colldgcs, colleges of agriculture and colleges of education should be encouraged to train supervisors and middle-level ardult nonformal education nlanpower olr a regular bnsis. 'l'l~e wiversities should continut with truining for only undergradunte and post-graduate programnles.

Lack of f u ~ ~ d e / r e s o u r c e s

~he ' funding of adult nonfbrolat education is done through the Ministry of Education, where it occupies a very subordinate position relative to secondary., vocational/tecl~nical and higher education. 'The 4th National Developn~ent Plan allocated I410 nlillion for nlnss literacy during tlre five years of the plan period while the Nigman National Council for Adult &tl~~cntion was asking for n bodgct ullocatioo of N102 nlillion for the first yenr of the National Mass Literacy Campaign. I t 110s been observed thrt approxirnutely I% o d y of the totul etlucatio~l budget goes to adult nonfor~nal educaton euch yeur. Tile same goes for nllophon of resources. 1

'I'llis staie of 8fCair.s can be due to a lack of understanding, on the part of policy makers and govern~nent, of the nature, dinlensio~~s and financial requirements of adult ~~onforrnal ctlt~cation progranllaes. l ' l ~k notwitl~standing, adult nonformal education has been credited with being a cost-saving andlself-financiag nlode of education.

son^ educational plann~!rs are ctrrrently calling for a sllaring of flinds itnd resource5 equally bctween adult nonformal education and t l~e fornlal educution systeln. 'l'his is

. I

I

bccause, according lo them, adult nonformnl ctlucation programmes cover a n ~ u c l ~ larger' 1

poj)rrlntion Illan the formal ctlrtcntion system ancl dcnls with problenrs of R more fu~~ t l c tne~~ ta l nnlure - Ilrosr, of Ilre poor, the ar~derprivilcd~et n ~ ~ d the ciisndvor~taped in our society. Demantls of eqr~ity, socinl justice ar~rl tnorality 111.ake i t rl~crclore rrrnt~datory for govcrn~ncnts to nllocntc I\J rcls )ro ortio~ralely to ndull nct~~lornial aud iorrnnl education I ' P. itccordirq lo IIIC ~ r e n ~ b c r of people bctng catered for hy tach syste~n.

WIrnl the Ana~nbra slate a t l ~ ~ l l ~~orr iorrnd ctlucalors in our san~ple scenr 'to Be saying Is t11;11 lhcy sliould cotltrol a Pwlget nntl other fncililics like crtI!er I~euds of d e p a r t ~ ~ ~ c t ~ t in the loci11 govcr~~ntclrt nrens wl ere tl~cy work. In thc first sta[:e of the Uelpl~i procctlure, this ~)roblerll rankcti low p ~ o b a I ~ l y because, wit11 prcy)arntions for the lnr~nclrit~g o l the Matiot~al tvlnss 1,ilcracy Carnpaig~~, II~crc was n feeling n ~ n o ~ r g the pa~ticil)nnIs t11at governnlenl wortld actually cotlle i l l with more f m c l i ~ ~ g and provision of otl~cr resources. ihritrg the cliscussio~~s, fncts ;11rt1 figures concernitrg nctt~rrl govct~merlt c o n ~ n ~ i t ~ ~ r c n l r~~rlsl have gct~c~i~tccl a fcelirig o f r l i s i r ~ ~ ~ ~ o i t ~ t ~ ~ ~ c ~ ~ t . among l l ~ c pnrticipc~nts that what they fell wits i ~ i ~ l ) l ) c ~ ~ i t ~ g did not actrti~lly I~appen with regnrd to I l~e problem.

hlost i1ct111t 11v11lor111al educatioa programmes have high returns OII i r~vestr~ic~~t i f well o~g;ti~iscd. Co~~~rnnr~i t ics , locnl, state and fctlernl govcrtrlnenls sl~ould cxplorc bcltct ways of t~~ak iag surc that lack of funds does not frttstrale atlull nonforn~nl cducatioa progranlrtlcs.

A crc;rlive approach would be to give tax rclief lo par!icipalrls in ntlrtlt ~~orllormal crl~tcirtion p r o g t a a ~ ~ ~ ~ c s ; k~rd tlrey would tlrcn be cxpccled lo use the I I I V I I C ~ lo purcl~ase cclei~mea( a r~d Icart~i~lg rnaterints. Also, participunls s l ls~dd be er~co~~ragecl lo fornr grottps or co-opcralivcs with slruclurcs sirr~ilar to those of similur irtdigenous nssociatior~s. Such gtoups ard co-ol)cral.ives should be allowed bank credit on easy terms so that 111ey can cmbnrk oil profit-n~aking ventures as cornpotlelrts of the utlult nonfor~nsI cducntion progranrrncs.

: lrredequeto understending ofsdufi notifornral educatiorr

This problem figures in such lilles as publicity, interest, molivalion, psychologicsl, ideological and co~~ccplunl problctns. A d d l nonforrnrtl educaliorr is orgarrlscd in Nigeria most vfte~r as remedial education for people who did not go lo s c h ~ o l or tvl~o failed in the

' for~nal scl~ool syeteln. Adult nonfornlal education hra come to be seen ns just 'evening classes* for illiterates or rcrnedial classes for the Ueneral Certilicate of Education.

It is true I l~s l nlost adult nonforrnal education progrrlmnlea in Nigcria have a large dose o f 4 literacy edr~cation. Dut that is not all there is to It. Such programmes as are orgenised urtder

atlull no~~fornlnl education have a high potential for eflieclivc 11un1an and 10cin1 dcvclopn~et~t action. Ifowever, as long as forn~al scl~ooling is the m l y a v e ~ ~ u c for rspid social nwbilily, adult notif~~rrnsl ed~tcntion wlll have a lrard time making a good showing of this grcat potential. 'I'l~c participants in I11e Delphi procedure sa:m lo be making the point that people who sl~ould actuslly benefit f r o r ~ ~ adult tror~fortnal c.ct\tcntioa prograrnmcs are not in any poaition to spprcciate tlmn. l ' l h ha^ to do-from one perspeclive-with the Itiglr socinl a te tu~ f o r t ~ ~ a l education corrfers on people who pass through It , and on the otl~er, with the rraturc of tlrc progratnmea ernbstked upon. II lraa bees ailown that atiull lileracy classes alone without any adult no~rfortt~al education cotnpctt~cttts nre not likely to motivate adults cnolk~ll.

As ill the ndage 'the lest of the puddil~g is ill the entlng', adult no~rfor~nal education can

I on1 J attract the llecessary attention and subsequent understanding when there are enough qualiflcd and well-traiecd personnel to carry out projects fut~ded by well-meaning individuals, cotnnrunitics, organisations and govcrrrmerlta which can demonstrate the high potential adult nonfor~nnl education has for rapid natio~ial development. The solntion to this problenl therefore is closely related to those for lack of trairlcd personnel and lack of fuuds.

lrwufficient commitment by the government

This problem is uslrdly discussed under such headings as organisational, administrative, locus of cotitrol, poor or poor fin~ncing problems. Sheffield and Diejomoah (1972) noted in their study covering 15 countries remarked that the overall national commitment to nonfimml education had been grossly inadequate. Adull: nonfortnal etlucation prvgrnrnmes flourished ilr Nigeria after the Second World Wur up to the late fifties wllen the wester^^ and Eastern regional gover~llnerils introduced rrce primary educntion. Subsequeatly, with the launclling of the Universnl Primary khlcalion (Ure) scheme in September 1976, all attention was directed towards lrlaking UPE a success. One effect of the regionnl free primary education programmes and UPE was the apparent belief cm the part of governnrent that with the ~ x p ~ n s i o n of sc1~001ing, sonner or later, everyone would be con^ literate. Expcriencc has prov'etl this wrong. Info~~nnt ion fro111 the Ikderal Office of Stntislics quoted at the lnurlchirrg of the Natio~lal Mass Literacy Campaign shows that in 1979 roughly 37 cllildre~l in evcry 100 in the urban areas and 46 ill evcry 100 in the rural areas, between the ages of 5 and 14 were not attending scl~ooli~ig inspite of the uw.

Thc birth of the Nigerian National Council for Adult Education (NNCAI!) marked a rebirth of the adult nonfor~ilal education niovemellt which started after the Second World War. l 'he NNCAE! submitted a proposal for the inclusion of a Natior~al Adult Education Yrogrnmnle in the 'l'hirtl National l levelopme~~t Yrogrnmme. The body 1111s also worked hard to see that government is con~nlitlcd lo launching the Nationnl Mass Literacy Ca~npaign wllicll is more or less rcgardetl as a nnh l -w ide progrnmnle parallel to UPE, desigrled for adult wlw, for one reason or a~lollrer, missed the chance to atterld school.

Even with the launclri~lg of the National Mass Literacy Catnpaign, there is still mucll left to be done' to co~ivirrcc practitioners t h ~ t the governrnerlt is sufficiently co~tmitted to tile cause' of adult n o ~ ~ f o r ~ n a l education. The National Mass Literacy Campaign has been very ~nuclr underfundecl.

'I'llcre is no directing national ideology or philosophy guiding the in~ple~nentution of atlult nonfor~llnl education programales in Nigeria, particularly the mass li ter~cy canlpaigns. Kcconl~nendatio~ls for tlic setting up of national and state Commissions of Adult Education and state Centres of Adult Education by the Nntional Conference of Heads ofl Adult t!ducntion in State Ministries and the Ul~iversilies in 19711 (Chnolewa, 1981 :144-54) arc not even on the drawing b o ~ r d , let alo~le behg i~nple~nented. Some stale goverllnienls did not even lnuncll the National Mass Literacy Campaign in Sept~:~nber 1982, and so~lle (lo not even have state Mass Literacy Task-forccs that were s~pposed to be set up prior to the Iaunclling. A National Publicity and Con~munications Co~nnliltee for. the Mass Literacy Campaign was e~lvisaged but tlicre is no~lc yet.

The organiscrs and supervisors of Adult Education in Anarnbra State who took part in the Delphi proccdure identified this problem with the highest frequency count during the first

,. . . , .. . ' . ;.. : . . ; . . :

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rtnge. But.on further discussion and the realisation that in thc history of adult nonfornral education i s Nigeria, tlrere is more governrnent invohelneot now than ever before, given the rmge of activiticg undertaken in preparation for the launchi~~g o f the National Maas Literacy Campaign, tlrey put this problem down ilr order of severity.

The possible solutions nre clenr. Oover~i~nent sliould fund ndult nonfornral educa t io~~ tlirough R rratiolral ilrtergratetl educntion system where adult nonfortnd education is considered at par with the formal education system.

Aspecta of this problem are usuaily discussed under titles like finance, administrative, smff I training, locus of control and lack of effective delivery system problems.

'I'lic presclit orgniiiwtio~~al structure of : K I I I I ~ ~~orlforrr~al e d i ~ c a ~ i o ~ i is licd lo tl~ar of [he Ministry of Education nt the federnl level and in most stntes. The curriculunr and niaterials for literacy are usually the same as those for prin~ary schools. Other ministries. notably those of social welfare; youth, sports and culture; rural developnrent end local government; ~gricultnre nnrl co..operatives have prognnimes that touch on atlull tronfornral education principles and prnctice. The limits of the vnrious progranrnres are not well-defined and i t i$ trot uolikely tlrnt there are ovetlaps, duplicatiol~ and even confusion in the pr~ctices. Invariably the orienlaliotis of these different ministries and otlrcr governnrent agencies and their approaches to practice in their progran~nres which are lelated to adult nonformnl etlucatioir m y be different nnd co~iflicting. Hence, the lack of inter-agency cooperation that l~ns been idcnlificd as n n~njor p~oble~r i of prnctice in adult lrorifor~~rnl educatio~i (Uwakul~, 1980). 1

In some stntes, socinl welfare officers, i~rfornration officers, cotnrnunity development oflicer:, and educntiotr officers were used interchangeably to desigliate officers doing work in the area of adult ~ro~~fornra l education. Even though only two groups rated this probleni as a major one, tlrere is the ilnpressiotr that resolutioli of the other problea~s mentioned above will take care of lliis problcm area.

One solutiun to these probleips scetris to be in the eslablislirne~~l of nnlionnl and slntc Corn~nissions of Adult No~ifo~triiil Education in the tirtrrrlicr recotir~r~er~ded by the Conference of 1 lends of Adult Educatio~i Depurtmenl in Ministries and in the Universities.

Lack of recognition and incentive for adult nonformal educatiol~ workers t The rapid expat~sioii and development of i'ortnnl scliooli~~g itrstilutiotrs within the lost half century in this country has greatly overshadowed the field of adult nonfornral education. I'his,has affected the recogliitiorr, progress and career path of 1)ractitioners. Policy-making and progrnnitlle design in adult nonfor~nnl educntiol~ have been carried out t~rostly by non- profcssiot~nls, who have scnoly knowledge of what is i~~volvctl in d u l l nor~forr~rd educatoa

, work. Current diplotno, certificate and degree trnining programnes for adult nonforlnal edrlcutors will produce a crop of graduate professioaals who will bring into the profession new iiisiglrts and n~~proaclies wliiclr will broaded the base of adult iro~ifornial education in Illis country nlid hence attract the tnuch deservcd and necessary recognition and incentives.

One possible solution in ndditibtr to the otliers recomnretrded trbove which touch on the saiiie prcsble~n is for governlrrent to recogl~ise and invite prof.essional adult nonforiiial

educators to participate and contribute to decision-making and governance a all levels of r: ol)cr:tliolb of gover~ililctit busi~lcss. ,411 ;irlult or not~l'ortiiol educnror as clticf cxtxu~ivc. ill the Ministry of ,Local Govermnent or Education or Iturnl Developa~ent or Youth will surely bring w,itll l ~ i m new insights which will make the difference ia genernl and it1 terms of the degree of recognition and incentives for adult nonfornlal education workers.

Sutnmery and con,clu~ion

, One problem that plhners of adult nonfornlal edueatio~l face is how best to assess problems in adult nonformal education fnce is how best t o assess problenls in adult notlformal cducation practice. In attempting to solve this problem, the terldency is alnrost always to focus attentiorl or1 identifying lenrners or programlnt: participurlts needs and problems, nud little or 110 atler~tioir~is paid to problenls practitioaers face in the field. Illlola's dinlectical ttlotlel of needs nego{iation call be used to ndvantnge in terneclying this situation. 'l'lle lrlodel allows us to develop problem profiles for special groups involved in adult nonfornl;d cducation work. Eaqh such group can lluve several problen~ p~ofiles as perceived by tllc group itself and 0th rs who are in a pasition to ut~derstalld the problems of this special group. f

Iience, we identified adult education organisers in Anambru State a r~d used a sl~c>rtened form of the Delphi teclrnique to identify the problenls they fnce in their prnctice of adult nonfornial education. Furthermore, we arlalysed the problen~s t~sing a sociological framework of nanlysis. It was found out t l~ut there are six major probleins the adult cducatiot~ orgal~isers in our sample face. They are in order of importnsce: lack of t~ajnctl personnel; lack of hnds/resources; inadequnte understal~tling of adult ~ ~ o l ~ f o r ~ n a l education by nigerians; insufficient cortlrnitment hy the governo~ent; inadequate orga~lisatiorl nrld cutriculue~; and lack of transportation and otller incellrives for adult cducation workers.

'Flw analysis arld discussion of the probleals and ulso sliowed illat any atte~npt at finditlg solutions has to explore the nature of these relationsl~ips. Hecorr~r~~c~~dntions for the solution of the problents were rnntle by the porticipnnts in l l~e Delphi procedure n~ ld also it1 the process o f discussion and analysis. Sorue of the recomrnendatiot~s are very nlucl~ in h e with tl~osc of t l ~ c Nnlionul Conference of IIcads of Adult Educatior~ i ~ r State Minist~ics and the Universities i n 1978.

'i'hese cor~siderations for appropriate solutioas revolve arourd the proble~ll of setting up an autonomous illstitutiollnl framework under wl~ich the prac~ice of adult nonl'ormal cducation in Nigeria can be organised nnd co-ordinated.

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Wan, Ckorge ti. 1976, NoqformalEducolion and Rural Develop,wvnL Supplementary Papa No. 7. Program of Studlm in Nonformal Education. Ann Arbor: Micliigan Slnla University.

Dliola. 11,s. 1919. Curriculum Devclopmenl for Futrclional L~leracy and Noqforntol Edumtion Program. Bonn: Ocrman Founclatioe for Inkrriational Ikvclopmcnt.

-1982. Planning clrange in ed~~catiori nnd developtirent: tlic CLEK nod el i r ~ the context of a mega-model. Vlcwpolnrs in f'caching and Lrarning, 58,4 (IWl). 121.

Coonibs, Philip ll., with hf. Alinied 1972. Alfacking Rural I'overfy, How Nonformal L2ucofion Can ilelp. Daltiniore: Johns Ilopkitu University Press.

Evar~q, David R. 1981. The Planning of Ncr/(/or~trai Eduination. Pnris: Unesco Press. Ooodisd, John. I. 1970. The dynamics of Mucafional Change. New York: hic<iraw llill.

I4avelock. Ronald 0. 1973. 7 k Change Agenls Uulde lo Innovallon In Educollon. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Bducntlonal Technology Publications.

Ilurton, Paul, & Lcslic, Gcrnld. 1965. The Soriolo~y of Social Problert~s. Ncw Yark: Applcton Century-Crofts. 1.l11stone. 1l.A.. A'Turoff, 11. 1975. The Xklphl,Uethwf, London: Addisorl-Wmley. Nwgu. P.N.C. 1981. Con.s:mlnts on Adult Education Proclice In Nigerla. k n n i o n a l Publication No. I . Nsukka:

Dcpartnicnt of Adult Education and Extra-rnoral Studies, Unlvcrsit y of Nigeria. Nigeria. Fcderal Ministry of Education. 1981. Rev. edn. Lagos: Pdcra l Ministry of I~iforntation. Nigcriau Nnlioml Council for Adult Education. 1973. Propma1 for a Nalional Adrrlt ~ d u h i o n I'rogmn~me.

Lagon. On~olcwa, M. 1981. Adull Education Practice in Nigerla. Ibadan: Evans I3rothcm. Sl~efficcl, J.R. & Dicjomoah, V.P. 1972. Nonfornral Education in African Drvelopmenr. New York: African-

Atncricnn Institute. Simmons, John. 1979. Etlucation for dcvclopnient rcconsidcrcd. WorldU'velopmen~, 7, 1005-16. Unlann, Sl~clley. 1912. The Mann8mrcnt of Education. London: I'irrnan Y ublishing. Uwakall. O.T. 1980. A~ricnltural extension scrviccs ar part of adult ducalion ~yslcm in Nigc~ia. P a p p r u u ~ t e d

nt senliner on Adull Educalian in Ihr Rar, Dcpart~~~crrt of Adult Ed~~calion, University of Nigcrir, Naukka.