WOMEN’S NON–PARTICIPATION IN ADULT LITERACY PROGRAMMES IN BORNO STATE: AN ANALYSIS OF PERCEIVED FACTORS

Fatimah, Abdul-Mumin Sa’ad

Department of Educational Foundation and Administration

Federal College of Education, Yola, Adamawa State, Nigeria.

E-mail: amsaadj@yahoo.com

Abstract: This study is on perceived factors responsible for women non-participation in adult literacy programmes in Borno State. These factors include husbands, economic, and women social engagements. Others include socio-cultural, religious and women adult literacy programme-related problems. In this study each of these factors has been analysed in Borno State. The design for the study was a survey method. The study covered three Local Government Areas (LGA) in Borno State, which were Maiduguri Metropolitan Council (MMC), Biu Local Government Area and Monguno Local Government Area. Each of the three Local Government Areas selected represents the Central, Northern and Southern Borno Senatorial Districts respectively. They also represented the urban, semi-urban and rural Local Government Areas of Borno State. The researcher interviewed a total of 58 participants and 310 non-participants of the Adult Basic Literacy Programmes, making a total of 368 respondents. The data collected were analyzed using simple frequencies and percentages. The findings of the study showed that husbands and economic factors were clearly the two major factors perceived as barriers responsible for women non-participation in adult literacy classes in Borno State. Other perceived barriers were culture, religion, women’s social engagements, and women adult literacy-related problems such as the learning environment, learning and instructional materials, inadequate facilities in the centres, etc. Based on the findings of the study, recommendations were made among which include the followings; that traditional rulers, religious leaders and other influential persons should begin to re-socialize men, especially husbands, to accept the equality of women with men particularly as regards access to and participation in educational activities; that women’s adult literacy classes should be reorganized so that women are not mixed with men during lessons; that Government should provide shuttle buses to take women learners to and from literacy classes; that learning materials and working tools should be provided free to women learners.