Lack of resources including manpower and flexible hours for adult education teaching has seen counties struggle to meet intended targets.
Kiambu County Adult Education Officer Susan Itonde said that besides the challenges, Kiambu County has continued to carry out awareness programmes and reach out to members of the public by creating networks such as churches in order to accommodate the learning.
Speaking to KNA in her office, Ms. Itonde explained that resources were important and what it takes to teach and take adults through learning programmes is sometimes overwhelming.
“Adult education is more than teaching. It is broad and requires more than that, bearing in mind that these are people who have other responsibilities and other things to do thus they need functional literacy that will help them apply whatever they learn into immediate use,” Ms. Itonde noted.
She explained that functional literacy, as part of adult education, majors on the use of whatever is learnt on different issues such as health which would include lessons such as prevention of diseases and hygiene while environmental issues would major on lessons such as planting trees and farming.
On lack of manpower, the Education Officer said professional teachers, officers and instructors who have been instrumental in the training have continued to decline as they normally fall into three categories which include the full time teachers, part-time teachers and also volunteers/self-help.
“For example, part-time teachers work for three days, two hours a day and that is only six hours a week which is not enough,” she noted.
Ms. Itonde further said that because adult learning involves people with other responsibilities, they have flexible programmes that allow the learners to choose their own learning schedules in line with what their responsibilities are and this has seen them motivated to attend the classes.
She added that even with such flexible programmes, they experience the challenge of classrooms including equipment meant to be used for teaching, which has been a major drawback for the adult learners.
“Lack of classrooms, learning equipment means relying on borrowed facilities such as borrowed classes, churches and other facilities, which sometimes is a challenge,” she said.
“As of July 2022, Kiambu County has been hosting 855 male adult students and 2140 female students. The numbers have continued to rise in line with the vision 2030 goal to attain 80 per cent adult literacy rates through expansion, access and participation,” she said.
Ms. Itonde further said e-learning for out of school youths and adults has seen creation of a sustainable literate environment.
“Kiambu County has 107 basic learning facilities, 57 post-literacy learning facilities, 34 Adult Education at Secondary level, 30 Adult Education at Primary Level and one computer class for adult education,” Ms Itonde said.
The Kenya Adult Learners’ Association was formed in 1990, during the International Literacy Year, by a group of adult literacy learners, led by Magdalene Gathoni, who graduated from a state of an illiterate adult to the point of obtaining her primary, secondary and further education.
By Victor Muchiri
