Adult education in Africa underfunded
MOST countries have made little progress in reducing the number of adult illiterates in the past decade because the programme receives minimal political attention and funding, stakeholders have said.
By Charles Kakamwa
MOST countries have made little progress in reducing the number of adult illiterates in the past decade because the programme receives minimal political attention and funding, stakeholders have said.
Robert Jjuuko, the chairman of the Uganda Adult Education Network, said governments and donors favour formal education over literacy and skills programmes for youth and adults despite their direct impact in achieving universal primary education and gender parity.
At a regional conference on ‘The training of Functional Adult Literacy (FAL) personnel and related materials development’ at Sunset Hotel in Jinja recently, Jjuuko said: “In Uganda, the FAL programme process review of 2007 revealed that an entire district receives less than U$950 (about sh1.6m) a month for planning, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of FAL activities. The right to education should never come second to other rights.
Citizens are challenged to come out and act,†he added.
Participants called on governments to increase funding to the programme.
Nancy Njoki of the Kenya Adult Education Association, said they faced inadequate training facilities and instructors.
“Instructors are in most cases volunteers and there is no guarantee they will continue rendering their services,†Eustella Bhalalusesa, an associate professor in the department of Adult Education, University of Dar-es-Salaam, said
Dr. Bernd Sandhaas from the Institute of International Cooperation of the German Adult Education Association promised to organise more conferences to improve literacy in Africa.
MOST countries have made little progress in reducing the number of adult illiterates in the past decade because the programme receives minimal political attention and funding, stakeholders have said.
Robert Jjuuko, the chairman of the Uganda Adult Education Network, said governments and donors favour formal education over literacy and skills programmes for youth and adults despite their direct impact in achieving universal primary education and gender parity.
At a regional conference on ‘The training of Functional Adult Literacy (FAL) personnel and related materials development’ at Sunset Hotel in Jinja recently, Jjuuko said: “In Uganda, the FAL programme process review of 2007 revealed that an entire district receives less than U$950 (about sh1.6m) a month for planning, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of FAL activities. The right to education should never come second to other rights.
Citizens are challenged to come out and act,†he added.
Participants called on governments to increase funding to the programme.
Nancy Njoki of the Kenya Adult Education Association, said they faced inadequate training facilities and instructors.
“Instructors are in most cases volunteers and there is no guarantee they will continue rendering their services,†Eustella Bhalalusesa, an associate professor in the department of Adult Education, University of Dar-es-Salaam, said
Dr. Bernd Sandhaas from the Institute of International Cooperation of the German Adult Education Association promised to organise more conferences to improve literacy in Africa.