Sustainable Development Goal 4 emphasizes the necessity of quality education for all, irrespective of age or disability. In line with this objective, the Kenyan government, through the Ministry of Education and in collaboration with various Non-Governmental Organizations, is striving to ensure that adults also have access to educational opportunities, leaving no one behind.
The adult learning program, under basic education in the Ministry of Education, caters to individuals of all ages who either never had the chance to receive an education or had to drop out due to unavoidable circumstances.
It also administers the Kenya Intermediate Level Education Assessment (KILEA) for those who did not manage to sit for the now-phased-out Kenya Certificate of Primary Education (KCPE).
Challenges in Adult Education
Despite significant progress in adult learning, numerous challenges persist, as mentioned by Salome Terah, Nairobi County Adult Education Coordinator, during a recent convening of Civil Society Organizations in Nairobi.
According to Terah, when people discuss education standards as set by the Ministry of Education, they often overlook that adult education is also part of the Ministry’s mandate.
Funding and Resource Constraints in Adult Education
“Because of this,” she says, “adult education faces challenges such as lack of funding, which affects the availability of classrooms, staffing levels, and learning in general. This issue has, however, been forwarded to the Cabinet Secretary and Permanent Secretary for Education, and we are hopeful that things will get better eventually.”
She adds that in primary schools, they are given Early Childhood Development (ECD) classrooms, which have furniture unsuitable for adults.
In instances where they use churches or social halls, they are required to pay, something Terah says is unfair since education is a basic right for every Kenyan, and the learners are already facing numerous challenges.
“Sometimes, when disasters like the floods experienced in May strike, we are forced to suspend lessons,” Terah explains. “We also cannot follow a traditional school calendar because adults attend classes when they are able, mostly in the afternoons. Additionally, since we share classrooms with schools, our learning schedule is disrupted when schools close, as we are unable to access the classrooms.”
Stigmatization is also a factor affecting learners who attend classes in schools where they are parents. To address this issue, she urges Sub-Counties to establish at least one community learning center. This would provide a safe space for parent-learners to pursue their education and carry out other activities without fear of stigmatization.
Demand for Quality Public Services
Education is a public service that should be rendered in a dignified manner, and it is therefore unacceptable that learning must be disrupted due to the unavailability of classrooms. Ellana Kembabazi, Program Coordinator at the Initiative for Social and Economic Rights (ISER), urges Africans to demand quality gender-responsive public services, emphasizing that citizens pay for these services through their taxes.
“We pay taxes, and the government ought to finance public services and secure the money lost to corruption and illicit financial flows,” she states. “Africa has a wealth of minerals and can actually shun donor funding and become self-sustaining.”
