Factors Influencing Enrolment Into Adult Literacy Programmes In Rural Districts In Kenya: A Case Of Nyandarua North District

Abstract

The study was carried out to investigate the factors influencing enrolment to adult education. The purpose of this study was to determine the factors hindering adults from enrolling in Adult Education Programmes in Nyandarua North district. The study was guided by the following objectives; to determine the extent to which the availability of the facilities influence the recruitment of learners; to establish the extent to which preparation of Adult Education Teachers influences the enrolment of adult education learners; to establish how social-economic factors influence enrolment of adult learners and to evaluate the influence of personal characteristics of teachers and learners on enrolment of adult learners. The study adopted the descriptive survey design and was carried out in 16 centres. The target population constituted a total population of 306. Stratified Random Sampling method was used to draw a representative sample. Data collection instruments comprised of open-ended and closedended questionnaires and interview schedule. The data collected was analyzed using the SPSS software and results presented in form of frequency tables. Findings showed that learning facilities is a factor influencing the enrolment of adult learners to education centres. This is because the learning materials provided are not relevant, age appropriate and adequate. Regarding teacher preparedness, it influences enrolment of adult learners because teachers do not provide enough and relevant work for learner’s level, most teachers do not attend to the individual differences among learners and most teachers lack a syllabus and a record of work. Social-economic factors were found to influence enrolment of adult learners because they take up most of their time and finances. Learner and teacher personal characteristics influence enrolment of adult learners, to a small extent because most learners were bothered by the teachers’ age. The researcher recommended that learning facilities for adult learners should be made relevant, age appropriate and available. There should be inservice training for adult education teachers. The adult learners should be taught on time and financial management so that they can manage to balance their social-economic activities and adult education. When teaching or grouping learners, teacher should consider learners’ ages in order to create a conducive environment for learning. The researcher suggested that a similar kind of study should be done in other areas in Kenya.