Idowu Biao, John Edet Bassey, Stephen C. Uche, Jane Omojuwa
In pursuance of the search for best practices in the execution of development agenda, the training of quality non-formal education (NFE) facilitators has been identified as an important agent for social engineering, community development and economic emancipation. The South-South political zone of Nigeria is a socially and economically backward environment. Which quality of NFE facilitators are turned out in this zone which may advance the cause of development? A self-designed evaluation model, named Biao’s non-formal education performance model, three research instruments and eight research questions were relied upon in the process of data collection within four of the six States making up the South-South political zone. The data were analysed using frequency distribution, means and percentages. Findings revealed that although education policy makers in the south-south zone, showed an understanding of the possible positive impact of non-formal education on development, they exhibited a dearth of information about adult and non-formal education; it was further found that there existed no NFE facilitators’ training institutes within the South-South zone and tertiary institutions’ academic departments of adult and non-formal education were too few to impact meaningfully on the population of this zone; additionally, it was found that the NFE facilitators’ training programmes run in only four academic departments of adult and non-formal education in the zone did not reflect the concerns of the millennium development goals; Although, 30 of the 35 trainers of NFE facilitators found to exist within the South-South zone at the time of this study were formally trained in the area of adult education, these trainers currently run defective facilitators’ training programmes to produce NFE facilitators for the zone; the South-South then was found to lack NFE facilitators both in qualitative and quantitative terms; unless urgent specific steps were taken, the South-South therefore cannot be seen to benefit in a foreseeable future from an enduring development legacy. Consequently, it was recommended that a South-South non-formal education summit whose aim will be to further sensitize and conscientize education policy makers about the development potentials of non-formal education should be held as a matter of urgency; also core adult and non-formal education courses which currently exist within training programmes for facilitators should be reviewed regularly and concerns of the millennium development goals should be made to reflect within NFE facilitators’ training programmes.
Share this article