Factors Affecting the Performance of Participants in Adult Education Programme in Udu Local Government Area of Delta State
Chapter One
PURPOSE OF STUDY
The purpose of the study it so find out through the research at hand the possible factors affecting the performance of participants in adult literacy classes in the Udu local government area. This is to say the purpose of the study was to determine the factors affecting the performance of adults in the programmes with special references to:
- Financing the programme
- Availability of qualified staff.
- The application of teaching aids in teaching
- The planning and administration of the program
- Literacy and development
- Literacy and language
- Strategies to promote literacy
CHAPTER TWO
REVIEW OR RELATED LITERATURE
Researchers aboard and in Nigeria have worked to some extent in findings out variables that influence the performance of participants in literacy centres. This chapter therefore is a review of some of the major studies that are relevant in the area of study.
FINDINGS OR FINANCING
Tomori and Brown (1999) noted that the problems of local government in Nigeria is that of perennial shortage of fund to carryout the project. Finance is an indispensable element in the success of any educational programme with adequate funding, the workers good condition of service will be provided, and facilities could be obtained and maintained. Lack of funds hampers the stability of programmes like adult literacy.
Decentralization of adult literacy could hamper standardization which could affect the conditions of service of the literacy teachers. C. J. Chenveix (2000) observed that the value of literacy education is no longer ignored but its state remain structurally and financially weak. Bell (1999) said, adequate literacy programmes requires adequate financial support still on financing adult education. Adifo Maido Garcia of Spain has this to say, “the financial burden of literacy work was borne entirely by the budgeting of the ministry of national education from which the national board received an annual approval of four (4) million pesetas. From this amount, 1750,000 peseta was assigned to the camp school of illiterates. The minute is the twenty two (22) million seats allocated to three classes under the ministry budget were voted to literacy works”. Viewing the above statement, it could be deduced that enough money is pumped into the programme and as a result, this effort of the government was found to have good effects on the performances of the participants.
Omolewa and Asiedu (2002) have this to say on financing literacy education in Nigeria. They asserted that bringing of literacy education should form part of an integrated development plan and that rural development literacy since literacy education in the rural areas would be meaningless unless its leads either to the employment of the individual or increase in the production of those who are self employed. This again showed that adequate funding of any literacy programme will to an extent affect the good performance of adults participates in the centres. From the work of various researchers on the subject matter, it is now crystal clear that funding of any adult literacy programme will go along way to show the type of results expected in the centres, since funding is the care on all implementation activities of the programmes expected. The lower the findings, the worst the type of performance to be expected.
CHAPTER THREE
METHODOLOGY AND PROCEDURE
This study is meant to assess the factors affecting the performance of participants in adult literacy programme in Udu Local Government Area of Delta State. In an attempt to go about this research, the researcher has to find out the level of learners participation and access the resources available to them in the various literacy centres and their effect on the performance of participants in the local government area.
POPULATION/SAMPLE
The population was made up of all the adult participants from the four literacy centres in Udu Local Government Area of Delta State.
Since the centres were few (only four) the whole adult participants totaling one hundred were used. Therefore the total of one hundred (100) participants was used as the population for the research. The following are the four literacy centres used in carrying out this research.
- Pioneer education centre
- Pre-GCE school of reading and writing
- bright success adult literacy centre
- Onos school of reading and writing
CHAPTER FOUR
PRESENTATION AND ANALYSIS OF DATA
This chapter deals with the research findings conducted through the administration of questionnaires, collection of past results and personal interviews on the factors affecting the performance of participants in adult literacy classes of Udu local government area of Delta state.
CHAPTER FIVE
SUMMARY, CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION
SUMMARY OF THE STUDY
The purpose of this study was to find out the factors affecting the performance of participants in adult education programme in Udu local government area of delta state. The choices of the learners were compared with their academic records on basis of which some of their responses were based on yes or no while others were based on strongly agreed, agreed, strongly disagreed and disagree.
A total of one hundred participants were drawn from the four literacy centres which were the total number of learners in the four centres. A hundred questionnaires were administered and information from the questionnaires were gathered and recorded.
SUMMARY OF FINDINGS
The following findings were made from the study.
- Some of the centres do not have a conducive environment for effective teaching and learning.
- Though teaching aids are used, but they are provided by the participants in the literacy centres.
- Some of the centres do not have enough textbooks.
- Classes are held in the evening between 4 – 6pm and that it was quite suitable to the participants.
- The participants are ready to learn.
- That the federal government do not make fund available on time for the programme.
- The instructors are not being paid regularly.
- Low participation in adult literacy programme is caused by lack of finance, negligence, frustration and the feeling that he/she can no longer learn due to old age on the part of the adult.
CONCLUSION
From the findings of the research on the factors that affects the performance of the participants in the adult education programme in Udu local government area of Delta state, the following conclusion were drawn.
- The four centres are not enough to serve the illiterate population in the local government area.
- The functions of the organizers and instructors are not well defined.
- Although the instructors and organizers are devoted to their duties, there is no job satisfaction because they are poorly paid.
- Arrangements are not made for in-service training of their teaching staff.
- Learners showed a lot of interest in the programme but are not regular on festival days, market days and during planning season.
RECOMMENDATIONS
Based on the findings, it was observed that there exist a number of problems affecting the performance of participants. As a result, it is therefore necessary to make some recommendation which will help to improve and enhance the performance of the participants in the programme.
- More adult literacy centres should be established by the local government to serve the illiterate population in the area.
- More qualified organizers and instructors should be recruited to intensify the administration of the programme.
- The planning of the curriculum should be geared towards the needs and aspiration of the participants.
- More funds should always be made available on time to enhance the participants’ performance in the programme.
- National Certificate of Education (NCE) teachers, preferably graduates of adult education should be employed as teachers in the adult literacy programme.
- Teaching aids should be provided in the various centres.
- Fees in the literacy centres should be made affordable in order to encourage the adults who could not attend due to lack of finance to take in the programme.
- Enlightenment campaign should be intensified over all the local government to keep the people informed of adult literacy programme in their door step.
SUGGESTIONS FOR FURTHER RESEARCH
Further studies need to be carried out in view of the limitation of this study. A nationwide survey should be carried out because the present study cannot be generalized for the whole nation, since Delta state was the only state considered in this study.
Further research could also be carried out on the topic, causes of adults dropout in adult literacy programme using different settings.
REFERENCES
- Ayenru D.L. et al (2003): Adult Education and Community Development, Ibadan: Heinemann Educational Books Limited
- Bell W.U. (1999): A Handbook on Adult Education, Chicago: M.S. Knowles (Edition)
- Chenevix Trench C.J. (2000): The Responsibility of Public Authority, London: F.W. Jossup (Ed), Long Life Learning Oxford
- Eduwen F.O. (2009): Fundamentals of Adult Education, Benin: Ogunlere Publishers
- Fafunwa A.B. (2005): New Perspective in African Education, London: Macmillan Publishers
- Liverright, A.A., Henry Good (2001): The Exter Papers; Boston
- Obi G.O. (2000): Adult Education in Rural Areas, Anambra: Macmillan Publishers
- Oguntoyinbo j.s. (1999): A Geography of Nigeria Development, Ibadan: Heinemann Education Books
- Okedaro J.T. (2002) Adult Education in Nigeria, Enugu: Macmillan Publishers.
