20% of Adults in Embu Cannot Read or Write as Shortage of Teachers Hinders Education
Stephen Mboi, the county’s adult and continuing education officer, estimates that approximately twenty percent of adults in Embu County cannot read or write.
According to data from the Central Bureau of Statistics for 2019, male and female illiteracy rates were 18 and 21 percent, respectively.
On Friday in Embu Town, during this year’s World Literacy Day celebrations, Mboi stated that 2,460 adults were currently enrolled in adult education, with 1,864 women and 596 men distributed across 63 centers in the county.
Last year, 534 adults were able to qualify for proficiency exams, 113 completed the Kenya Certificate of Primary Education (KCPE), and 89 have registered to take this year’s national exams.
However, according to the officer, there has been a recent increase in the number of 20- to 25-year-old men enrolling in adult education classes.
This, he stated, was largely attributable to the rising incidence of males dropping out of school due to the allure of quick cash in the county’s thriving muguka and sand mining industries.
He stated that the majority of cases involving young men enrolling in adult education classes involve individuals who had previously interrupted their education and have now recognized its significance.
He stated that the trend, if not reversed, will create a social imbalance in the future due to the education gap between men and women.
He mentioned that the probable outcome in the future would involve a higher number of educated women compared to men within the county, which could impact the social fabric of the community.
According to him, the increased education disparity between men and women will likely result in a decline in marriage.
One of the challenges they face, according to the officer, is a dearth of sufficient teachers to meet the rising demand.
As a consequence of increasing enrollment, the distribution of the county’s 58 adult education instructors poses a difficulty, according to him.
20% of Adults in Embu Cannot Read or Write as Shortage of Teachers Hinders Education