CHAPTER FIVE: CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS
5.3 Conclusions
In light of the findings of the study presented, analysed and discussed in the previous chapter, a number of conclusions were drawn. The conclusions revolve around the issues of motivation for participating in an adult literacy programme, approaches, methods and materials used for the teaching of literacy, components of the curriculum and their relevance to the needs of the participants, retention of the acquired literacy skills, the interaction between the various parties in the programme and the limitations of the programme.
These are explained in detail in the following paragraphs.
The participants in the intergenerational programme of URLCODA are propelled to take part in the programme because of the dictates of the
environment for which literacy skills are needed. The environment is changing every day and this has created more need for literacy-related skills than was the case twenty years back. For instance, the land on which the rural people depend for their livelihood can no longer sustain their lives because of the deterioration in fertility, to be a gate keeper requires some skills of reading and writing, to sell some vegetables in the market requires some skills of numeracy and literacy and even to participate meaningfully in a religious
function requires literacy skills. However, behind all these factors are three reasons namely: economic, personal and social which make people participate in a literacy programme. In other words, the participants are motivated by economic, personal and social reasons.
The teaching in URLCODA's adult literacy programme is guided by a
functional adult literacy approach. The main idea behind the approach is to equip the participants with the appropriate skills they can readily apply to survive in the environment, which is increasingly becoming hostile. It is no longer enough to know how to read and write, but the skills of reading and writing must be applied to manipulate the environment for one's own development and that of the entire community.
The curriculum followed in URLCODA's literacy has two major components, one emphasising the formal literacy and numeracy skills development and the other emphasising practical life skills and livelihood strategies. Phonic
methods are used for teaching the former while other adult education methods such as the discussion method, role-plays, lecture method, case studies and field visits are used for teaching the latter.
In the above curriculum, the child learners tend to get more excited when they are attending the literacy and numeracy skills lessons than when they are in life skills lessons. The reverse was true with the adult learners. The reason is that the former aspect of the curriculum in which the phonic methods are used tends to engage learners in reading and writing while the latter engages the learners in discussion. The child learners are not excited about discussions because some of the topics for discussion might be beyond their cognitive ability or of less interest to them. They cannot therefore comprehend certain things that require intensive discussion. The adult
learners are also slow in reading and writing because they are coming face to face with the letters of the alphabet for the first time and to some extent lack confidence in themselves.
Whereas the instructors had in their possession learning aids such as FAL training manuals, FAL curriculum, the Reflect manual, textbooks, and charts, learners had completely nothing in their possession to practice their reading and writing skills. This is bad for the learners because failure to practice their reading and writing skills will make them atrophy.
The adult literacy programme of URLCODA has adult female and male learners on the one hand, and girl learners and boy learners on the other.
The child learners are both young and old and either in UPE or out of it. The programme is characterised by features that make it really intergenerational.
The participants ranged from 5 to 72 years old. Although 25% of the adult learners interviewed had their own children participating, the majority of the child learners do not have their parents participating in the programme. The interaction between the learners is very beneficial because it leads to
exchange/sharing of ideas, experiences, skills and beliefs which helps in shaping the behaviour and attitudes of the literacy participants both in class and outside the class
The programme has enough facilitators to handle the literacy classes.
However, there were conspicuously fewer female instructors in the
programme than male ones. Besides the instructors have never been trained to teach in adult literacy programmes and their participation is voluntary.
There is no incentive and reward system to boost the morale of the instructors which is bad for the future of the programme
The programme has very serous resource limitations and design deficiencies that needs to be addressed urgently. For example, there are no properly built classes for teaching/learning, no libraries for the safe custody of reading materials, there are no reading materials themselves, and above all, the programme lacks funds. Without funds, it is very difficult to imagine that the programme, which developed unintentionally, but has now been seen to be
yielding some benefits, can reach many non-literate people out there in the rural areas. However, the participants of the programme are very
enthusiastic about what it does and are therefore determined to continue supporting it with whatever they can lay their hands on. This is an
opportunity, which may lead to the sustainability of the programme.