Adult learning has been part of education in Kenya since the late 1970s. However, informal education has existed in the country from pre-independence period, while non-formal education system has been a part of our learning experience since the mid-1960s. Learning problems and challenges are there, we cannot pretend to hide what goes on in the learning history of a young student and adult students.
According to the Kenya Education for All Assessment (2012), Adult Literacy and Continuing Education (ACE) is a transformative learning process. This process enables adult learners to acquire skills and knowledge related to the improvement of individual lifestyles, cascading to their families and the general community resulting in development of personal confident, self-reliance and participation in civic engagement, environmental conservation food security and other sustainable development issues.
ACE goes beyond reading and writing, as it equips adult learners with functional literacy skills, integrating micro-entrepreneurship, and capacity building.
Over the years the ACE sub-sector has undergone some significant development which includes:
- An intensified provision of adult literacy to communities through the effort of private and public payers in the country:
- Enhanced advocacy programs
- Increased enrolment of adult learners to literacy centres;
- Development of learners’ curricula (Adult Basic Education and Training – ABET – 1,2 and 3) and adult literacy instructors (Adult Trainers’ Examination Curriculum – ATEC 1 & 2;
- Conducting the first-ever Kenya National Adult Literacy Survey (KNALS) in 2006, which provided country-wide information on the literacy status in Kenya;
- Empowering learners through functional adult literacy classes; and,
- Conducting adult literacy in the language of catchment area.
Despite these significant efforts in place, rapid challenges continue to pose a serious threat to the sub-sector. These challenges include:
- Inadequate infrastructural facilities;
- Inappropriate learning environment for all learners, including learners with special needs;
- Poor monitoring and evaluation methods and systems;
- Inadequate literacy instructors;
- Overdependence on other stakeholders to provide learning facilities;
- Financial constraints to meet the needs of learners and literacy instructors
ACE is beyond reading and writing. It also includes imparting skills to adult learners that meet the 21st Century needs.
To mitigate these challenges, the Kenya Adult Learners’ Association recommends:
- Continuous and intensified advocacy and publicity campaigns through adequately supporting Adult Learners’ Week (ALW) and International Literacy Day celebrations;
- Provisions of adequate human resources especially the adult literacy instructors;
- Continuous review of curriculum by integrating issues such as technology, peace, environment, civic education, human rights and business management among others;
- Implement the National Qualification Framework )NQF) to provide a linkage between formal and non-formal education, and ensuring that it complement the competency based curriculum;
- Ensure that both public and private ACE centres are ICT mainstreamed and linked to the National Broadband Fibre Optic Cable to enable learners across the country;
- Re-establish and strengthen the Special Board of Adult and Continuing Education; and
- Enhance and encourage collaboration between the government and private providers of adult education in the country.
Provision of adult education is built on a stronger partnership amongst all stakeholders
