Factors influencing post literacy learners' participation in adult and continuing education programmes, Central Province, Kenya

Abstract

Article 26 of the Universal Declaration of human rights states that everyone has a right to education. It further states that Education shall be directed to the full development of human personality, and to the strengthening of respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms. It shall promote understanding, tolerance, and friendship among all nations, racial or religious groups, and shall further the activities of the United Nations for the maintenance of peace. Like many other developing countries, Kenya has high rates of illiteracy. The beginning of the country's literacy campaign in 1979 saw a remarkable increase in the adult education enrolment rates, a trend that changed in the late 1980's to late 1990s. Slowly but surely, the trend has reversed with more learners engaging in Adult and Continuing Education (ACE) programmes and going on to enroll for further programmes even after attaining basic literacy in the recent past.

The purpose of this study was to investigate this new trend, that is, to study the factors that influence those who have already become literate to continue participating in Adult and Continuing Education programmes in Central Province. The objectives of the study included: to investigate the extent to which the learners' socio-economic background influences post literacy learners' participation in ACE programmes in Central Province; to establish the extent to which availability of learning opportunities to post literacy learners influences participation in ACE programmes in Central Province; to investigate the extent to which the evolvement of a knowledge- based society has influenced post literate learners participation in ACE programmes in Central Province. The study sought to achieve the objectives by adopting descriptive research design and covered all the 11 District Adult Education Officers and 16 Adult Education Supervisors in the province.

It also sampled 66 adult education learners out of the 332 enrolled in the ACE programmes in the province. The study established that participation in ACE programmes by post literate learners is influenced most by the evolvement of a knowledge- based society, followed by socioeconomic factors and finally by the availability of learning resources. It was established that motivation to satisfy their various social and personal needs had an overriding influence, which cannot be ignored.

It is necessary for the Government to improve on provision of resources if the current trend has to be sustained with ease. There are areas that require more research like adults learning among youth, gender disparity in participation in ACE programmes and the overall impact of adult literacy in community welfare.