Factors influencing access to adult and continuing education programmes in Kenya: A case of Bumula subcounty; Bungoma county

Abstract

This study aimed to investigate the factors that influence access to Adult and Continuing Education, To determine the various influences the study will be guided by the following study objectives: to determine how available learning and teaching materials influence the access to Adult and Continuing Education , to assess how funding influence access to Adult and Continuing Education ,to establish how learner economic background influence access to Adult and Continuing Education and to investigate how governmental policies influence access to Adult and Continuing Education Program in Bumula sub-county. The study was conducted through descriptive research design. This study is significant in improving the quality of adult and continuing education in order to enhance access to the programme This study was limited by reluctance of respondents for fear of victimization which was mitigated by developing of a rapport with respondents. The scope of the study was adult education centers of Bumula sub-county. The target population for the study was 150 respondents. The Sample size of 95 adult learners was selected using simple random sampling while the 12 adult teachers were selected purposively. The sample of 150 according to Krejcie & Morgan tables is 107. The instruments for collection of data were questionnaires; both structured and open-ended. Simple Random Sampling was employed to collect the data. Data was collected randomly from Adult educators and adult learners in several Adult and Continuing Education Program Institutions in Bumula Sub-county of Bungoma County. Data collected was analysed using descriptive statistics and presented in frequency tables. Concerning the influence of available learning and teaching materials and implementation of adult and continuing education the bulky of respondents cited that flexible class scheduling influenced access to adult and continuing education. The findings showed that majority of the respondents felt that flexible class scheduling had a strong influence on access to adult and continuing education as cited by 85.04%. It was also revealed that economical and technological changes in the job market influenced the access to adult and continuing education by 75.70% responses. On the basis of the findings and conclusions above, the study recommended that the Government and other stakeholders should ensure that qualified adult and continuing teachers are employed and paid well to facilitate proper teaching process. The training centers’ need also to be well equipped so as to meet both students and teacher educational needs. The study also recommends that the government also needs to promote Literacy surveys and Curriculum development that meets the needs of adult and continuing students. Training centers should be situated near to the learner so as to encourage them to enroll into adult classes; the fees for the programme should also be subsidized further to make it more affordable to the learners. An effectual policy should be backed up by legislation so as to ensure its full implementation and enable the concrete actions taken to bear fruit, for instance, policies should take place within a political framework of real participatory democracy and good governance of both National and local levels. The study also suggests a similar study to be carried in other sub counties so as to compare the study findings.