The National Commission for Mass Literacy, Adult and Non-Formal Education (NMEC) has advocated improved remuneration and welfare packages for facilitators engaged in adult literacy programmes nationwide.

John Edeh, the Director overseeing NMEC, made the call in an interview with journalists in Abuja.

Speaking on challenges affecting the non-formal education sector, Mr Edeh, who is also Director of Literacy and Development in the commission, said inadequate incentives for facilitators had affected programme delivery and learner retention.

According to him, the federal government has begun addressing the issue through improved allowances, capacity development training, and provision of teaching materials.

“Some of the gaps include facilitator allowances, teachers for facilitators’ capacity development, and of course, non-availability of teaching and learning materials.

“All these have been addressed adequately. Many of our staff members already own many learning centres.

“Many new learning centres have been opened by our state offices, ensuring that adults do not only learn but are mainstreamed to the next level,” he said.

Mr Edeh stressed that motivated facilitators are essential to achieving the commission’s mandate of eradicating illiteracy for national development.

He added that strengthening facilitators’ welfare would enhance teaching quality and expand access to literacy education, especially in rural and hard-to-reach communities.

The director added that strengthening adult literacy programmes by integrating vocational and economic empowerment skills is paramount to enhancing self-reliance among learners.

Mr Edeh said that the commission’s initiative, known as the Literacy Economic Empowerment Strategy (LEES), was designed to ensure that adult education transcends reading and writing to address the economic needs of participants.

According to him, literacy programmes can no longer operate in isolation, as many learners now seek practical skills that can translate into improved livelihood and income generation opportunities.

He explained that under the strategy, new learning centres were being established, particularly in underserved and hard-to-reach communities, to expand access to functional education and skills acquisition.

Mr Edeh added that various core skill areas, including Beauty and Cosmetology, Fashion Design, and Home Economics, had been promoted consistently over the past years, with increased participation recorded across learning centres nationwide.

He said that the programme had recently been scaled up to include additional vocational training, leading to the development of curricula covering 17 different trades subjects.

The trades, he said, include plumbing, electrical installation, pipe-fitting, handicrafts, and other vocational areas aimed at equipping learners with practical competencies required for self-employment.

He noted that the integration of vocational skills into literacy education would empower beneficiaries to become economically independent.

Mr Edeh added that this integration would reduce reliance on others for survival and contribute meaningfully to community development.

(NAN)