Nigeria’s burden of adult illiteracy

Paiko said that efforts were being made to address the situation.  Last month, Chairman of NMEC’s Governing Board, Dr Esther Udehi, said that Nigeria was home to some 64 million adults that are illiterate. She added that it was ‘shameful’ that in the 21st century, a country could have that number of illiterates. Udehi, who […]

Paiko said that efforts were being made to address the situation.  
Last month, Chairman of NMEC’s Governing Board, Dr Esther Udehi, said that Nigeria was home to some 64 million adults that are illiterate. She added that it was ‘shameful’ that in the 21st century, a country could have that number of illiterates. Udehi, who spoke in Awka as part of activities to mark this year’s International Literacy Day, said Nigeria’s dream of attaining the objectives of Education For All (EFA) in 2015 would become elusive unless something was urgently done to reverse the trend.
She tasked states to ensure that the 774 local government areas were well equipped and empowered to boost national literacy levels, but they they can deploy this to meet the 2015 target is open to question.
A 2010 literacy survey conducted by NMEC defined adult literacy rate as the percentage of people from age 15 and above who can, with understanding, read and write a short, simple statement on their everyday life, putting the overall literacy rate for adults in the country at 56.9 per cent.
Whatever the true figure is, it is without doubt that such levels of illiteracy are a huge burden on the nation.
Nigeria’s international partners like the World Bank have also expressed concerns over the number of illiterate adults in the country. At a recent occasion in Abuja, the Bank’s Acting Country Representative, Mr Sateh El Arnaoyi, said Nigeria could only ensure sustainable growth if it massively invests in education.
In Mrs Udehi’s address, she noted that laudable policies of government at all levels would be harder to achieve with such a large population of illiterates in the country.
Low literacy level partly accounts for the low level of development in Nigeria.  Growth and development of any nation depend largely on the quantity and quality of all segments of its population. In years past, there have been serious efforts by the government to boost adult literacy level, with the setting up of centres for learning across the country. Some states indeed have worked hard to raise the literacy level among their adult populations, by ensuring that the dedicated centres are functional and that the target persons are aware of their existence. Some also put in place measures to encourage continuing adult education beyond the basic level.
However, the aim of such centres is sometimes misunderstood because many of them have been turned into skills acquisition centres to the detriment of functional literacy classes.   Both can go hand in hand, but the literacy aspects must be the emphasis.
The advantage of having a literate population is self-evident. It will among many things enable the country to conserve resources. During elections, for example, there may be no need to spend so much resource on radio and television announcements/ banners if the country has a more literate electorate.  Educating adults could also help to equip them to aspire to a better quality of life.
There is a need for investment in both formal basic education and youth and adult literacy and non-formal education in order to ensure that children, youth and adults have access to adequate educational opportunities which will help them develop their literacy skills. The job of educating adults in the country is however not the government’s alone, although it should be the greatest motivator and driver. The fact hundreds of thousands of 15-year-olds are illiterate is scandalous in a country with so much resources.