ABSTRACT

This study sought to determine the management of adult literacy programme and its influence on learners’ access and participation in the programme in Kajiado County. There has been the problem of low access and participation that makes it hard to achieve the goals of the programme. The objectives of the study were: to determine factors that influence access and participation of learners in adult literacy programme, to determine how the capacity of teachers influence the management of adult literacy programme, to establish the challenges faced by the adult education managers in the management of adult literacy programme and to examine strategies for improving access and participation of adult learners in adult literacy programme. The study adopted descriptive survey design. The target population comprised of the Adult learners, teachers, Adult Education officers and Supervisors in Kajiado County totalling to 1757. Simple random sampling technique was used to select a total of 130 respondents. Data was collected using questionnaires, interview schedules and observation schedule. Data collected using questionnaires were analysed by use of tables of frequency distributions and percentages by use of Statistical Package for Social Science program (SPSS Version 21). The analysed data was presented as frequencies and percentages which were used to summarize and present the data. The study established factors influencing access and participation of adult learners in Adult Literacy Programme further highlighted the management aspects of Adult Literacy Program. The study established that distance to the learning centre, teachers’ mobilisation strategy, publicity of the programme, learning environment and teachers’ professionalism were factors which influenced access and participation. Further, it was noted that participation of learners had peer motivation such as women and men groups, self-motivation, distance to learning Centre, impact of adult literacy programmes in learners’ daily lives, knowledge and skills acquired and social interactions. On the capacity of teachers, the study established that majority of the adult education teachers in Kajiado County had attained the minimum academic qualification to teach in the adult literacy programme. However, low percentage of teachers had undergone Diploma course in Adult Education an indication that there was shortage of professionally trained personnel in the programme. The study recommended: recruitment of adequate qualified full time teachers to address shortage of teachers, improvement of teachers remuneration, conduct regular capacity building and staff development programmes for Adult Continuing Education staff, increased government budgetary allocation for physical infrastructure, adequate and relevant teaching /learning resources for adult literacy programme and intensified publicity and advocacy campaigns to enlighten the community on the existence and importance of adult literacy programmes.