Adult Education Stakeholders Want More Literacy Centres Established
To boost the County’s literacy rate, adult and continuing education stakeholders in Kilifi County have asked for the development of adult literacy centers.
Kilifi County Adult and Continuing Education Officer Argwings Owuor and Malindi Deputy County Commissioner (DCC) Thuo wa Ngugi stated that it was necessary to boost the County’s literacy rate by encouraging as many adults as possible to utilize the service.
Speaking at festivities commemorating this year’s International Literacy Day at the Malindi Immigration Offices, the officials emphasized that a lack of classroom space in adult learners’ neighborhoods discourages many from attending sessions.
They urged the national and county governments to set aside funds for adult learning centers and to stop relying excessively on elementary schools and community centers, which were not always available.
Mr. Owuor stated that implementing the Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC) had made it difficult for students to attend classes in primary schools, as empty classrooms in the afternoons are now filled with young students.
“We have been using classrooms in primary schools but because of the highly demanding CBC programme, the classrooms we relied on in the afternoons are now fully occupied,” he said.
The official stated that the County has 7,203 adult literacy students, including 5,315 women and 1,884 men, and that the government has devised measures to ensure that the service reaches more adults who did not have formal education.
Mr. Ngugi, DCC of Kilifi County, advised illiterate males to enroll in adult programs to enhance the County’s literacy rate.
Mr. Ngugi criticized the disparity between the number of men and women attending adult literacy programs in the County.
He urged men to take advantage of the government’s adult literacy and continuing education programs.
According to Ngugi, most participants in the adult literacy program in the County are women.
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Noting that many men had left adult literacy and engagement in community development activities to women, he challenged men to rethink their attitudes regarding adult literacy and participation in such activities.
He requested that chiefs and their assistants be at the forefront of encouraging the people under their jurisdictions to take education seriously, stating that an educated society was resistant to antisocial behavior and easier to control.
Adult Education Stakeholders Want More Literacy Centres Established