Uneducated men in Kajiado County have been challenged to enrol in adult literacy classes to gain knowledge they missed during their youth.
According to the County Adult and Continuing Education Officer, Mercy Njiriri, fewer men than women were enrolling in the classes due to their lifestyles and varied cultural beliefs and norms.
Njiriri revealed that the nomadic lifestyle of the Maasai community made it hard for the men to enrol in classes as they moved from one place to another in search of water and pasture for their animals.
“We have very few men enrolling in adult education classes compared to women, as they are mostly pastoralists. The men keep moving from one place to another with their animals, making learning almost impossible,” she said.
Speaking at the Osiligi Adult Education Centre, the officer added that cultural beliefs have also hindered the men from acquiring basic literacy skills.
She explained that a majority of men in the community say it is against their culture to mix and interact with women freely in public, thus they shy away from the classes.
“Many uneducated men do not want to sit together with women in class. They say it’s against their culture to freely interact with women publicly. Others feel ashamed when they are outshined by women in class; thus, they keep off,” Njiriri added.
The officer urged the men to shun retrogressive beliefs and enrol in the classes, pointing out that apart from acquiring writing and reading skills, the adult learners are trained in business skills, family planning, civic education, agriculture, and nutrition, among others.
Njiriri called on local leaders, community elites, and activists to sensitise men to shun some negative misconceptions and join hands with women in acquiring education.
She cited lack of teachers and classrooms as some of the major challenges facing the adult education sector.
Njiriri appealed to the government to open up more adult education classes in the area and employ more teachers to cater to the high number of uneducated adults.
Daniel Tisike, a volunteer teacher at Osiligi Centre, revealed that out of the 76 adult education students in his class, none were male.
Tisike said there were a huge number of uneducated men in the area, but none of them have enrolled in the classes due to the economic lifestyle of the community.
“We have many illiterate men, but it is hard for them to enrol in classes as they are busy searching for pasture and water for their livestock,” he said.
The volunteer teacher added that the opening of ‘men only’ classes in the area would encourage more men to enrol in the classes as they would feel more comfortable.
By Rop Janet
