Stigma, Understaffing Hinder Adult Education in Nyeri
An exhausted and demoralized staff as well as the social stigma attached to adult education both contribute to the declining number of candidates enrolling in the Adult and Continuing Education (ACE) learning program.
The situation is so grave that the county risks falling back to levels of illiteracy worse than in 2007.
Chris Mokaya, the director of County ACE, states that while the lean staff under his command is doing everything possible to keep things operating, the sustainability of the program will require more resources and an all-out effort from both the national and county governments.
The county has registered 73 adult learners for the Kenya Certificate of Primary Education (KCPE) and 661 candidates for the Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) this year.
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Among the adult learners sitting for this year’s KCPE exams are 19 male inmates who are serving varying custodial sentences at the King’ong’o Maximum Prison.
“In Nyeri, enrollment is extremely low due to the stigma associated with adult education. People are embarrassed to admit that they are illiterate. At this level, people do not want to admit they did not attend school or pulled out. We need to start creating awareness, but our hands are tied because creating awareness necessitates resources. People must be aware of what we do, but we have not yet accomplished this. Thus, enrollment is extremely low, which is why illiteracy persists. Perhaps it has increased even more than it did in 2007,” he said.
According to the 2007 Kenya National Adult Literacy Level, the minimum mastery level in literacy in Nyeri stood at 76 percent, against a national average of 66 percent.
Mokaya reports that only 15 permanent teachers and 55 part-time instructors are employed in the eight sub-counties with limited or no resources.
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He says enthusiasm among part-time teachers is at an all-time low due to low pay and a lack of clarity about the fate of their careers, compelling many of them to concentrate on other income-generating activities.
A part-time instructor is compensated Sh2,000 per month and is required to work between two and three hours per week.
Mokaya argues, however, that the challenge of staffing is not limited to part-time employees alone, as many permanent employees are also departing without replacement.
Due to the gravity of the situation, the official must now complete the office documentation after his secretary retired last month without being replaced.
“I have a very lovely office here, but I closed one of the rooms after my secretary retired last month. We used to have a clerk, secretary, driver, and deputy in the past, but currently we have closed all their offices since they have all retired. I fear that I will soon be left alone. Our instructors are paid a token of Sh. 2,000 per month. I believe that kills their morale, and the dearth of transportation makes it difficult to follow up with them and know what is going on,” he said.
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This year, the number of female candidates who have enrolled to take the KCSE exams has surpassed the number of male candidates.
Out of 661 candidates who are expected to write the exams, only 135 are males, with many of those currently serving in pastoral work having been forced to go back to class by their superiors to secure a post-primary certificate.
The county official attributes the disparity to masculine chauvinism and pressure on men to pursue activities that will provide for their families.
“There is also a gender gap, with male enrollment being significantly lower than female enrollment. The reason why this disparity is being felt is male chauvinism, and we discover that the number of men enrolling in our classes is very low compared to women. “Girls were also neglected, but they are now aggressively seeking education,” he added.
In March of last year, retired Nyeri ACE Samuel Ndurumo warned that the department could soon face a severe tutor deficit, posing a challenge to government efforts to increase adult learners’ literacy levels.
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Ndurumo had noted that the number of personnel leaving the service without being substituted was an issue the state needed to address to ensure the program’s continuity.
He revealed that for over 10 years, no single teacher had been posted to the county, leaving the department to put up with a strained staff of 55 part-time teachers.
He forewarned that advances that the program had achieved in addressing literacy rates among adult learners were likely to be eroded unless swift measures were put in place to recruit more educators to replace those who had left the service.
“We have a severe staffing shortage in this department, which requires immediate attention. ”Instructors have left the service without being replaced, leaving us in a precarious position in terms of serving the available students,” he said.
“We are currently facing the retirement of another 20 teachers,” he told the press. “There is no one to replace them.”
Despite Nyeri having a high literacy level estimated at 80 percent, it has been registering dwindling numbers of adult learners since 2010.
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ACE’s goals and objectives include providing literacy and adult education to youth and adults who do not participate in formal education programs, teaching survival skills, promoting individual development and fulfillment, and closing the gender disparity in illiteracy.
Enrollment in adult education has been characterized by a decline over the past few years compared to the late 1970s and 1980s.
The decline has been attributed to inadequate funding, a negative attitude toward the program, an unsuitable curriculum that fails to meet the requirements of the students, and a teacher shortage.
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Stigma, Understaffing Hinder Adult Education in Nyeri