CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
Background of the study
Education is indispensable to national development. The Federal Government of Nigeria in her national Policy on Education (FRN, 2004), highlighted this. The policy states that education is an instrument for national development and that it fosters the worth and development of the individual, for each individual’s sake and for the general development of the society. The Federal Government made provisions for education at the pre-primary, primary, secondary, tertiary levels and adult literacy and non-formal education.
In 1975, the Federal Ministry of Education created an adult and non-formal education branch of the Ministry and in 1977 the first National Policy on Education (NPE) was published. In the document, Adult Education was recognized for the first time, as a driving force for development and the objectives stated as follows:
(i) to provide functional literacy education for adults who have never had the advantage of any formal education;
(ii) to provide functional and remedial education for young people who prematurely dropped out of the formal school system;
(iii) to provide further education for different categories of completers of the formal education system in order to improve their basic knowledge and skills; and
(iv) to give the adult citizens of the country necessary aesthetic,
cultural and civil education for public enlightenment.
In order to achieve these objectives, it is necessary that adult education must be effectively managed. Effective management of adult education implies a situation where the stated objectives of the adult education are achieved. It is a situation in which personnel resources are utilized effectively for the achievement of the goals of adult education. Effective management of adult education therefore depends, to a large extent, on effective utilization of resources, especially personnel resources. As Ernest Boyer (in Sparks, 1984:89) observed:
When you talk about school improvement, you are talking about people improvement. That’s the only way to improve education unless you mean painting the building and fixing the floors. But that’s not the education; that’s the shell. Education is people oriented. So when we talk about excellence or improvement or progress education, we’re really talking about school improvement..
The National Commission for Mass Literacy, Adult and Non-Formal Education (NMEC) is the Federal Statutory Agency set up to co-ordinate all aspects of Non-Formal Education in Nigeria. This involves the coordination and monitoring of governmental agencies, academic institutions and non-governmental organizations participating in NFE programmes. Its establishment was predicated upon the National Education Policy thrust and the need to eradicate illiteracy amongst the citizenry. It is also to carry out research and training in relevant fields for NFE personnel in order to enhance their output. This was further reinforced by the Jomtien and Delhi Declarations where member nations of the United Nations accepted to eradicate illiteracy by the year 2000 to facilitate development. The Commission formally took off on 25 June. 1991 with the basic responsibility of eradicating illiteracy in Nigeria. In discharging the responsibility, different categories of personnel involved in the NFE programmes must be empowered continually. These personnel include facilitators, change agents, organizers, supervisors, administrators, policy makers and researchers. As at 2007, there were 150 professional staff members in the NMEC Headquarters, the six Zonal offices and the National Centre in Kano that is coordinating the work of less than 22,946 (1996 staff census) staff of the thirty-six States and FCT Agencies for Adult and Non-Formal Education in Nigeria. In discharging their responsibilities effectively, these categories of personnel must be empowered continually. Being empowered here is an expression of the need for capacity building of NFE personnel particularly directors for effective management or performance of their duties. According to Omeje.
