ADULT AND NON-FORMAL EDUCATION FOR GLOBAL PROGRESS

Adult and non-formal education like any other form of learning is an integral component of nation building in any given society. It has the potential of enabling creative and democratic citizenship, giving voice to citizens especially adults who almost missed their chances of becoming useful in the society. It serves as a tool for equipping individuals with skills, knowledge, attitudes and values needed for improving their lives. The paper reviewed literature on adult and non-formal education for global progress, taking into cognizance the concept of adult, adult education and non-formal education. The paper also captured the global perspective of adult and non-formal education as well as agencies promoting adult education at global level. It was also found out that adult and non-formal education face so many challenges but not limited to poor societal perception of adult and non-formal education, unstructured learning centres, inadequate training and re-training of instructors, low supervision of adult and non-formal education programmes, inadequate funding and allocation and poor administration and management. The paper concluded that adult and non-formal education is the bedrock of human development and nation building. For effective delivery of adult and non-formal education, the paper recommends public enlightenment and sensitization of the general public on the relevance of adult and non-formal education; functional adult and non-formal education programmes; systematic adult education policy; holistic review of adult education policy; adequate funding; establishment of more adult and non-formal education centres; and recruitment of competent facilitators.