Lack of resources including manpower and flexible hours for adult education teaching has seen counties struggle to meet intended targets.

Kiambu County Adult Education Officer Susan Itonde said despite the challenges, they have continued to conduct awareness programmes and reach out to members of the public by creating networks such as churches in order to accommodate the learning.

Speaking at the weekend, Itonde noted that the success of adult learning needs adequate resources. “Adult education is more than teaching. It is broad bearing in mind that these are people who have other responsibilities thus they need functional literacy that will help them apply whatever they learn into immediate use,” Itonde noted. On lack of manpower, Itonde said professional teachers, officers and instructors who have been instrumental in the training have continued to decline as they normally fall into three categories which include full time and part-time teachers and volunteers/self-help.

“For example, part-time teachers work for three days, two hours a day and that is only six hours a week which is not enough,” she noted.

She said adult learning programmes allow learners to choose their own learning schedules in line with what their responsibilities are and this has seen them motivated to attend classes.