Residents encouraged to enroll for adult education

Kajiado,

Tuesday, September 12 2023

KNA By Diana Meneto

Residets of Kajiado whose education was cut short due to different life circumstances have been urged to enroll for adult education classes.

Kajiado County Director for Adult and Continuing Education Mercy Njiriri said the basic level of education is important because the learners learn how to read and write, how to conserve the environment, a bit of Swahili and English languages, business and how to help their children with homework.

Njiriri said that it was important for the parents to learn especially now with the introduction of the Competency Based Curriculum (CBC) which is more of parental engagement with the learners and due to climate change, it is also prudent for them to learn how to conserve the environment.

“The pastoralist community which is predominant in Kajiado has been greatly affected by climate change and that is why we are trying to teach them alternative sources of livelihoods and how to mitigate climate change in addition to changing their perception on outdated cultural practices like Female Genital Mutilation and Early marriages,” Ssid Njiriri.

She noted that 78 adult learners have graduated from the basic education in Kajiado this year and have transited to post literacy level the youngest being 22 years and the eldest being 56 years.

Njiriri however said that it has been a huge challenge to retain learners in the classes due to the recurrent droughts for the past four years.

“The only fully functional class we have is Isinya Development Institute where we have full time students. There is therefore a need for the government and other stakeholders to construct more classes and to recruit more teachers,” she said.

“We only have 20 teachers so far and compared to the literacy levels in rural Kajiado, the number is not enough,” she added.

Leah Joram, a 39 year old graduate of the adult education programme said that the basic education has really helped her as she is now able to read the Bible herself without depending on anyone and she is also able to operate her mobile phone which she could not do before.

“I want to encourage all adult learners, especially women to enroll for the adult education classes. I am now able to write my name and express myself using Kiswahili and English and this has helped me in developing my business as I am able to converse with people who don’t understand my native language,” said Joram.

According to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO), only 70 per cent of the adult population in Kajiado County is literate with 30 per cent of the population unable to read and write.

Courtesy; KNA