ADULT EDUCATION AND RURAL

DEVELOPMENT IN NIGERIA

INTRODUCTION
The place of adult education in development was put clearly by the former Tanzanian
President, Julius Nyerere, when he said that our children will not have an impact on our
economic development for five, ten, or even twenty years. The attitude of the adults ... on the other
hand, has an impact now. Indeed, in Tanzania as in many other parts of the world, development
and rural development in particular have always necessarily gone hand in hand with adult
education. In this study we shall take a look at the reasons which make adult education is
significant for improving the lot of people living in rural communities. We shall also examine the
specific ways in which adult education helps to bring about rural development. But first and
foremost what is adult education?

MEANING OF ADULT EDUCATION

Adult Education has been defined by many authors in their own perspectives, amongst which
include the definitions below;
H.F.Makulu considers adult education to mean the all –inclusive pattern of adult development
which has in view the need of the adult not only as an individual, but also as a member of his
community, and which helps him to live more effectively in his society. On the basis of Malulu’s
definition, adult education includes mass education, community
development, vocational training, basic literacy, youth activities, and formal and non–formal
education aimed at training the adult for his duties as a citizen of his state.
An American understanding of adult education maintains that it embraces learning undertaken
voluntarily by people in their mature years. Although, it is achievedwithout compulsion, and
without any direct regard to its vocational value, its major purposes are, first, to make adults in the
community aware of individual and community needs and second, to give such education as will
enable them to cope with current problems (Sheats, Jayne, Spence, (1953).

Bertelsen (1974) has further refined the definition in order to take greater account of informal
education, it’s definition is simplythat “adult education is any learning experience designed for
adults irrespective of content, level and methods used…”
The international congress of University Adult Education defines adult education, rather
stipulatively, as ‘a process whereby persons who no longer attend school on regular and full time
basis (unless full time programmes are especially designed for adults) under take a sequential and
organized activities with the conscious intention of bringing about changes in information,
knowledge, understanding or skills, appreciation and attitudes; or for the purpose of identifying
and solving personal or community problems. Roy Prosser (1967) incorporates the missing factor
in the above understanding of the concept of adult education.
He looks at adult education as that force which, in its ideal application, can bring about
maximum of re adjustment of attitude within a society to any new and changed situation in the
shortest possible time, and which helps to initiate change which evolves and imparts new skills
and techniques required and made necessary by the change.
RURAL DEVELOPMENT
What does development means?
The word development refers to an increase or growth for the better.
Hence, rural development amounts to an overall improvement in the lot of persons who do not
dwell in the cities or urban areas.
For such improvement to be meaningful, it must be concerned not merely with improving the
infrastructures in the rural areas, it must touch on the occupations of the people concerned and
also affect all aspects of their lives. Thus, it ought to bring about both social and material
advancement (including greater equality, freedom and other valued qualities) for the majority of
the people through gaining greater awareness of their own abilities and possibilities.
There are a number of reasons why rural development is usually considered to be of
overall national importance. These include the following:
a. Rural people constitute the vast majority of Nigerian population. This is so in
spite of the migration of people from rural to urban areas.
b. Most of the food which Nigerians eat is produced by rural dwellers.
c. Much of the country's agricultural needs for raw materials and subsequent
industrial and economic growth are produced in the rural areas.

d. Two of the five national objectives as stated in the National Policy on

Education are the building of:
(i)a just and egalitarian society. A just and egalitarian society entails justice and fairness. The
principles of fairness is the principle of equity.
(ii)a united strong and self-reliant nation. This entails building a nation where every Nigerian
contribute to the development or upliftment of the country. The policy envisage a united country
where every Nigerian would be his brother's keeper irrespective of religion, ethnicity or social
background. It envisage a country that will be strong in defending it's territory, a country that
defends the right of her people and upholds the integrity and dignity of its citizens able to provide
basic amenities and provide social securities.

e. Inequalities exist in social and educational amenities between urban and rural
areas.
f. Inequalities exist in living standards between rural dwellers.
g. Most rural dwellers live below subsistence level.
If Nigeria must achieve a self-reliant economy, egalitarianism and full employment for all,
it is important to examine what prevails in the rural areas where a majority of our
countrymen reside. It is important to find out what sort of activities the rural dwellers
engage in and identify what factors impede the development of their community. We
shall attempt to answer these questions.
(a) Most people living in rural areas are engaged in agriculture. The people are
usually small subsistence farmers, farm workers, wine tappers, those engaged
in animal husbandry, fishing and forestry. Others engage in non farm, artisan
and entrepreneurial activities. These include tailors, dressmakers, barbers,
carpenters, masons, motor and motorcycle mechanics, radio and watch
repairers, cobblers, bicycle repairers, patent medicine sellers, commercial
motorcyclists and traders. Then there are teachers and local government
officials.
(b) The factors that militate against rural development include:
(i)unemployment or lack of full employment of a vast number of rural
dwellers;
(ii)uneven income distribution;
(iii)low productivity;
(iv)lack of food selfsufficiency particularly in terms of variety;
(v)lack of basic amenities such as housing, health, power, and recreational
facilities.
Based on what has been said above, rural development should aim at the overall social and
economic growth of the community with emphasis on equitable distribution. This would mean
more equitable distribution of farmland; more equitable distribution of income; widespread
improvement in health, nutrition and housing; greatly broadened opportunities for all individuals
to realise their fullest potential; a strong voice for all rural people in shaping the decision and
actions that affect their lives.

METHODS FOR RURAL DEVELOPMENT

To bring about such rural development a number of methods have been suggested.
These include the following.
1. Massive external technical and infrastructural aid to the rural communities.
2. Changing the belief system and pattern of rural people so that they can accept
change.
3. Extending the benefits of technological innovations to the rural people through
extension services.
4. Integrated approach whereby all factors considered essential components for
rural development are coordinated under a single "management system" with
emphasis on rational deployment of resources.
5. Self-help approach in which case the chief motive for rural development must
come from within the rural dwellers themselves so that once they are ready to
move, outside help of various kinds responding to their expressed needs may
come in to sustain progress.

THE ROLE OF EDUCATION

If rural development must be made possible then education has a part to play to ensure a
successful betterment of the rural sectors . This entails that, whichever approach we may elect to
employ for rural development, education would have a primary role to play.

(a)Massive aid to rural communities in terms of , tractors,equipment, roads,

generators, pipe borne water and so on will not come to much if the people do
not learn how to use such facilities and if there is not enough resource and
technical know-how around to maintain them. Education is important if such
equipment are to be maximally used and maintained.
(b)Changing the belief system of the rural people is largely an educational
enterprise.
(c)Meaningful extension services do not result from dumping innovations on the
people. Innovations must be built not onlyon the needs of the people but also
on the level of their present indigenous and acquired skills. They must also be
taught how to adapt innovation to suit their own peculiar purposes.
(d)The integrated rural development approach could become impersonal and
authoritarian if the people are not actively involved in the planning and
decision making. They need education to be able to order priorities and decide
between alternatives.
(e)The selfhelp approach is based largely on mobilizing and energising the
people so that they can identify their felt and real needs.
Obviously, this will be best achieved if the people are educated to learn that
they hold the key to the solution of their own problems. Apart from the
relevance of education for each of the specific strategy identified above, the
rural dwellers like their urban counterparts need education generally for
improving on their skills and awareness. Regrettably, opportunities for formal,
non-formal and informal education for rural people are much less than for
their urban counterparts in Nigeria.

EXTENSION APPROACH TO RURAL DEVELOPMENT

Simply put, extension education implies using adult teaching/learning principles to
develop knowledge, skills and favourable attitude in persons and groups of persons
and their families thus enabling them to benefit from research and technology with
the ultimate aim of raising their efficiency and achieving a higher level of living.
There are various types of extension which includes: agricultural extension, health extension,
home economics extension, sanitation extension, commercial extension and so on.
Largely speaking, extension educators are change agents who should not force innovations on
people but should endeavour to communicate and build on the felt needs of the people. In Nigeria,
the most important form of extension for rural development is
agricultural extension. This is because most people who live in rural areas practise agriculture in
one form or the other.

FUNCTIONS OF EXTENSION IN NIGERIA

There are three key important functions of extension in Nigeria, which are:

(i)To help create a conducive frame of mind and attitude in the farmer for
acceptance of change.
(ii)To pass on to the farmer recent innovations from research and take back the
farmer's problems to the appropriate research institution.
(iii)To help the farmer conduct his business so that he is economically viable. This
function includes advising the farmer on the formation and importance of
cooperative and credit societies as well as on marketing, bank loan and so on.

PRINCIPLES OF EXTENSION
If an extension work must be successful then the following principles must duely be put into
consideration:
1. Extension ought to be based on the felt and real needs of the rural people.
2. Innovations must be adapted to the current level of indigenous and acquired
technology of the people.
3. The rural people must be accepted for what they are and be fully consulted at
all levels of extension.
4. A democratic procedure ought to be employed in the planning, gathering of
facts and in execution of extension programmes.
5. The ultimate end is to help the people to help themselves.

METHODS USED IN EXTENSION WORK IN NIGERIA

The methods used in extension work in Nigeria include the following.

a. Visits to farmers
b. Agricultural shows
c. Use model farms
d. Field trips, tours and excursions for farmers
e. Demonstrations
f. Getting information to the rural populace through opinion leaders and
progressive farmers.

5. In order to be successful in his tax, the extension worker needs to:

(a)know and understand the technical subjects he wishes to extend; these should
be made appropriate to the needs of the rural people;
(b)understand the theory and principles of the teaching learning process for
adults;
(c)posess knowledge of the customer, values and attitudes of the rural dwellers
and of general human behaviour;
(d)appreciate various methods of communication and administrative
organisational principles.
6.In Nigeria, Ministries of Agriculture, Research Institutes, University Faculties of
Agriculture, River Basin Development Authorities and Area Agricultural
Development Projects engage in rural agricultural extension. The ministries of health
in collaboration with international agencies like the World Health Organisation
(WHO) and United Nations Children Emergency Fund (UNICEF) engage in health
extension. Non governmental Organizations (NGO's) like Young Women Christian
Association (YWCA); National Directorate for Employment School on Wheels
engage in home economic extension. The Directorate for Food, Road and Rural
Infrastructure (DFRRI) is involved in the provision of rural infrastructures like roads
and rural electrification.

COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT APPROACH TO RURAL DEVELOPMENT

Whereas the extension approach tends to see rural development through the eye of one or another
group of specialists based on the implicit assumption that rural development could be initiated by
outside intervention and by introduction or even subtle imposition of modern production
techniques, the community development approach aims at initiating a broad educational process
that would alter attitudes, raise aspirations and self confidence, and encourage individual and
community initiatives for selfimprovement.By means of mass education and mobilization,
community development efforts aim at transforming the economic, social, political and cultural
institution, process and relationships in the rural society. Through mass education and
enlightenment, attempt is made to root out fatalism, dependency and lack of selfconfidence.
Political awareness is instilled. So also are greater community cooperation, strengthening of local
democratic institutions and broadening of leadership base. Community development
acknowledges the importance of modern technical expertise and other forms of assistance coming
from outside but is largely concerned that such help be in response to expressed local needs and
desires rather than oneway intervention from the top down.Community development is then a
process by which the efforts of the people themselves are united with those of outside helpers to
promote better living within the community.

ELEMENT OF COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMMES

Community development programmes have the following basic elements.

1. Self help.This calls for active participation of the people themselves at the various levels of
needs assessment, planning and execution.
2. Needs Assessment.Development programmes must be based on the felt and true needs of the
community. The community should be able to identify these needs by itself. There should be no
imposition from elsewhere.
3. The entire community. The perceived needs of the entire community rather than that of some
select few should form the basis of action.

SCOPE OF COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT:

1. Health:This includes personal and public health; preventive and curative health care. General
sanitation including the prevention of pollution are included here.
2. Housing:This includes education on the use of local materials, on ventilation, location of
latrines and so on.
3. Cooperation:This includes cooperative marketing, thrift and credit societies, cooperative village
shops.
4. Home Economics: This includes education on house keeping, house decoration, child raising
and information on the use of local ingredients for nutrition.
5. Public Amenities:Efforts to obtain better water supplies, building of feeder roads, construction
of churches, mosques, town halls and post offices,primary and secondary schools, health centres.
6. Recreation:Use of team games to arouse community spirit. To be considered here also are local
festivals, wrestling contests, dance and drama.
7. Rural Industries:Such cottage industries as bakery, soapmaking, carving, weaving, metal-
working are included here. Education is also provided for poultry, rabbitry, pottery and for other
vocational improvement.

METHODS OF THE COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT APPROACH

There are two basical method employed in community development. These include:
1. Use of a community developmentworker based in a village and serving a number of villages.
Often, he hails from one of the villages. He serves as a link between government, other outside
agencies and town unions, voluntary organizations and local community development committees.
Oncein a while he attends in-service training on the latest strategies of community development
work.
2. Encouraging local farmers and other workers to go for further training aimed at improving their
vocational skills. These people in turn form the nucleus for community mobilization and
education.

Conclusively, for a complete development of a country, education is key, and the rural sector
which happens to be the grass root must experience this education to enable a vast and mass
development of every sector of the nation. For a rural development, adult education is necessary.
While adult education is ural development is the overall improvement of persons who do not
dwell in the cities or urban areas.