Browsing by Author "Swai, Elinami Veraeli"

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    Women's educational needs analysis for alternative approach to adult education in Tanzania: a case study of Kiroka and Sembeti wards in Morogoro and Kilimanjaro.
    (University of Dar es Salaam, 1999) Swai, Elinami Veraeli
    The purpose of the study was to examine the extent to which the Integrated Community Based Adult Education Programme (ICBAE) fulfills women's educational needs and interests. The aim was to determine whether the programme was appropriate for women's empowerment and if not delineate an alternative approach to adult education that would take into account women's needs and interests. The study examined six variables which were assumed to be useful in determining whether the ICBAE programme was appropriate for women's empowerment or not. These included (1) women's educational needs, (2) women's involvement in programme planning, (3) relevance and effectiveness of the ICBAE programme, (4) instructional procedures, (5) community attitude towards women's education and (6) availability of instructional resources. The respondents, included 2 officials from the Ministry of Education and Culture, 2 adult education co-ordinators, 2 ward adult education coordinator, 10 literacy facilitators and 120 adult learners, making a total of 136 respondents. The respondents were selected through purposive and random sampling techniques. Data were collected through interview schedules, documentary review, focused group discussions and observation. The findings of the study revealed that the ICBAE programme did not promote the acquisition and development of basic knowledge and functional skills relevant to women's development and life in the community in general. Many of the activities performed by women were agricultural, animal husbandry, domestic chores and petty trading and other related activities. It was revealed that women did not utilize much of the ICBAE knowledge and skills. Most women indicated preferences in learning about marketing, credit facilities, food preparation, preservation and storage as well as how to take care of sick people. The women had a view that if they acquired such knowledge and skills, they would perform their development activities more efficiently. Overall, the study found that 56 percent of women participants were not involved in the programme planning and those involved were mixed with men during the process of developing the ICBAE programme objectives. In this situation, specific needs of women could not be expressed and incorporated in the ICBAE programme. The subject matter and the income-generating activities could not enable women to develop themselves and improve the living conditions of the community in general. This was attributable to the fact that, there was neither new technology learnt in the literacy classes, nor the income-generating activities related to their social and economic realities in their communities. Although the prominent instructional method used in the ICBAE programme was discussion with REFLECT techniques, some of the facilitators were not competent in using this method effectively. Most of the instructional resources were in short supply thus making some of the learners remain idle in the literacy classes, a situation that frustrated and led them to drop out. With regard to an alternative approach to adult education it was recommended that an ideal approach to adult education programme that is responsive to women's needs and interests, there is a need to focus on inter alia, women's realities and experiences. The subject matter needs to be drawn up in participatory manner, in the light of priorities, needs and interests as expressed by women, and should consider the cognitive, psychological and economic components.