Abstract:
Literacy centres are established to provide a second chance at the acquisition of skills essential for personal and national development. However, virtually all literacy centres in Nigeria are faced with the problems of enrolment and retention, due to the characteristics of adult learners. Nevertheless, the Masallaci National Model Adult Education Centre (MNMAEC), Kano has managed to sustain high levels of learners’ enrolment and retention for over 50 years. Previous studies have focused largely on funding, instructional methods, and learner and facilitator factors with little emphasis on enrolment and retention strategies as they relate to the success story of MNMAEC. This study, therefore, was carried out to evaluate the enrolment and retention strategies of MNMAEC between 2007 and 2017 being a period that witnessed insurgencies in some parts of the North, with a view to ascertaining its enrolment, attrition rates and time-to-completion of its programmes. Its adopted enrolment, retention and teaching strategies were also determined.
The Stake’s Countenance Model provided the framework, while the survey design of the ex-post facto type was used. The seven existing programmes in the centre were enumerated, while the proportional to size sampling technique was adopted to select 50% of the learners in each programme; making a total of 1018 learners. The 67 staff were enumerated. The instruments used were MNMAEC Programme Evaluation Questionnaire (r=0.82), and Enrolment (r=0.71) and Retention (r=0.87) strategies scales. These were complemented with official records. A focus group discussion was held with learners, while key informant interview sessions were held with staff (4) and the proprietor. Quantitative data were analysed using percentages and Pearson’s product moment correlation at 0.05 level of significance, while qualitative data were content-analysed.
Participants were mostly males (86.8%) and married (52.4%), aged 22.5±2.30 years. They were traders (25.4%), civil servants (22.7%), artisans (21.3%) and farmers (11.0%). The mean enrolments of MNMAEC between 2007 and 2017 were x̄=236.5 (Basic Literacy-BL), x̄=432.6 (Post Literacy-PL) x̄=304 (Intermediate-Int), x̄=152.9 (Vocational-VOC), x̄=193.2 (Remedial-RM), x̄=42 (Special Class-SC) and x̄=16.9 (Computer-CP). The means for attrition and retention rates were x̄=13.2 and x̄=223.3 (BL); x̄=17.4 and x̄=415.3 (PL); x̄=16.5 and x̄=287.4 (Int); x̄=13.1 and x̄=139.7 (VOC), x̄=13.8 and x̄=179.4 (RM); x̄=5.5 and x̄=36.5 (SC) and x̄=3.1 and x̄=13.8 (CP). The completion periods for the programmes were 4 months (CP), 6 months (BL), 9 months (VOC), 1 year (RM), 2 years (PL and Int), and 21/2 years (SC). The use of religious/community/opinion leaders (94.4%), face-to-face contact (93.1%) and visits to worship centres (91.1%) were adopted enrolment strategies. Relevant learning materials (98.3%), motivating teaching methods (96.7%) and friendly instructors (90.1%) were retention strategies. Discussion (91.1%), demonstration (90.5%) and explanation (90.3%) were effective teaching strategies. However, lack of adequately trained facilitators, finance and low remuneration for facilitators were challenges faced by MNMAEC.
The Masallaci National Model Adult Education centres, during the crisis period between 2007 and 2017, engaged opinion leaders in enrolment, and used relevant materials and interactive teaching to retain learners.
