Manpower development and utilization in adult literacy education in Nigeria

Abstract

This paper examines the manpower development and utilization in Adult literacy education in Nigeria. The study indicates the availability of the programme in all the States and almost all the Local Government Area (LGA), and some communities in Nigeria. The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in collaboration with some State Agencies and NGOs organized relevant manpower development programmes for Adult literacy education in Nigeria. In respect of manpower utilization, it is discovered that the programme has helped to improve the socio-economic and living standards of the participants and has led to astronomical rise in enrolments in formal education. There are cases of underutilization in some area. Challenges identified include withdrawal of participants due to the constraints and lack of interest, lack of incentives for facilitators; lack of mobility for effective monitoring and evaluation, and weak curriculum among others. It is recommended that literacy should be community driven, and literacy assessment practices to focus on qualitative assessment and not only on quantitative data collection. Participatory rural approvable techniques should receive the attention of literacy evaluators to allow for the measurement of the level of involvement of the target groups as well as the community at large; the outcomes and post-literacy achievement and how neo-literates apply the gains of literacy should be given attention also. Some of the means of empowering trainers of adult education personnel should be by their membership of professional association, participation in conferences, undertaking research, and acquisition of knowledge of Information and Communication Technology. It is strongly recommended that for poverty alleviation programs of government to succeed, community members particularly, the poor for whom the programs are meant, should be well mobilized as to make inputs in the planning, execution, monitoring and evaluation of such programs and schemes that concern them.

Keywords: Adult education, literacy, manpower development, utilization, NGO, enrolment.