ASSESSMENT OF FINANCING ADULT AND NON-FORMAL EDUCATION PROGRAMS IN GOMBE STATE

This study assessed the financing of Adult and Non-Formal Education (ANFE) programs in Gombe state. Three specific objectives and three research questions were formulated. Descriptive survey design was adopted and population of the study was 325 respondents which comprise 15 administrators and 310 instructors drawn from the 15 government own Adult Education Centers in Gombe state. A sample of 169 respondents was used for the study. That is 15 administrators and 154 instructors. Instrument used was a structured questionnaire with a four rating scale titled “Assessment of Financing Adult and Non-Formal Education Questionnaire (AFANFEQ)". It was validated by two experts in the Department of Educational Foundation, Faculty of Education, Gombe State University. Pilot study was carried out and Cronbach’s Alpha was used to compute the reliability coefficient of 0.97. Descriptive statistics (mean and standard deviation) was used to answer the research questions. The findings of the study revealed that Government, Philanthropists, Community members, Adult learners and NGOs such as UNESCO, World Bank and UNDP contribute in the funding of ANFE in Gombe State but over dependence on external donors, lack of political will, inefficient resource management, embezzlement by government officials and inadequate policy support affected and serve as barriers to efficient financing of ANFE in Gombe state. It was therefore recommended among others that there is need to advocate for stronger political commitment to ANFE in Gombe state. This can be achieved through lobbying, raising public awareness, forming alliances with influential stakeholders, and demonstrating the socio-economic benefits of investing in lifelong learning opportunities. KEY WORDS: Financing, Adult and Non-Formal Education Programs