adminGOVERNMENT is considering increasing the number of centres that offer non-formal education to adults and school dropouts across the country, as the available facilities are now oversubscribed, an official has said.
Permanent secretary in the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education, Dr Sylvia Utete-Masango told Sunday News last week that there has been an increase in the number of pupils enrolling for the adult education programme over the past years.
The non-formal education programme, which is also known as the second chance education programme, is aimed at according opportunities to adults who may not have completed primary and secondary school education because of various reasons to continue with studies.
School drop-outs as a result of early marriages are also accommodated in the programme.
Lessons, under the programme, are conducted outside normal schooling hours to avoid disturbing the conventional school time table.
Dr Masango said the schools that she had visited so far which offer adult education programme were overwhelmed with pupils, creating a need for more schools to start offering education to adults.
She said some schools, particularly in urban areas, had enrolments of more than 700 pupils who were taking different classes and at different levels of learning.
“The schools that we have visited so far have been streaming non-formal students of all ages who are taking different classes. I was at Zengeza Number One High School in Chitungwiza and what we saw was amazing. There were over 700 non-formal students taking different classes from Form One to Ordinary Level.
“We would want to spread the programme so that more schools can start offering adult classes both primary and secondary to allow those who did not complete their education to catch up from where they left. Some might have dropped out of school because of early marriages and many other different reasons. They should be given a second chance,” she said.
Although Dr Masango could not say off hand how many schools were offering adult education and how many more needed to be added, she reiterated that her visits to some of the schools offering the programme had indicated the need for the centres to be increased.
She said modalities would be worked out on how to spread the adult education programme, with the adult education policy giving guidance.
Matabeleland North provincial education director (PED) Mrs Boithatelo Mnguni confirmed that the few schools that were offering adult education in her province were recording a high turnout of pupils.
“The programme is going on well here and we have had an encouraging response from adult students over the past years. One of the schools that are offering classes for adults is Mosi oa Tunya High School. Drop-outs and those who failed and are supplementing the failed subjects form the greatest percentage of the students.”
Other provincial education directors in Matabeleland region could not be reached for comment at the time of going for print, to check on how the programme was going in their respective provinces.
Bulawayo provincial education director Mr Dan Moyo could not comment as he is on leave and his deputy Mr Mathias Luphahla could not be reached on his office land line which went unanswered until the time of going to print.
Online Reporter