Repositioning the Funding of Adult and Non-formal Education (ANFE) in Anambra State, Nigeria.

Abstract

The need for repositioning the funding of adult and non-formal education (ANFE) in Anambra State cannot be overlooked as manpower and material resources needed for such programs can be acquired when there is adequate funding. The study focused on the repositioning the funding of ANFE in Anambra State. Descriptive survey research design was adopted in this study, guided by three research questions. The population of the study comprised 331 instructors in all the government-owned adult education centres in Anambra State. There was no sampling because the population was manageable. Questionnaire was the instrument for data collection which was validated by two experts in the Department of Adult and Continuing Education, Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka. Cronbach Alpha was used to determine the internal consistency of the instrument and the overall reliability coefficient of 0.79 was obtained. Mean statistics was used to answer the research questions. The findings indicated that ANFE is funded to a low extent in Anambra State. The study also revealed that some of the challenges confronting ANFE in Anambra State include: difficulties in identifying budget meant for ANFE, lack of information on funding by individuals, inadequate funding by the government, among others. The study further showed that the strategies to be adopted in repositioning the funding of ANFE in Anambra State are: distinct budget allocation by federal and state government for ANFE, effective utilization of fund accruing to ANFE, assisting of ANFE through regular funding by international bodies and NGOs, among others. Conclusion was drawn and the study recommended that governments both federal and state should provide adequate support to ANFE, especially through proper funding and adequate monitoring of such funds.