As the world commemorates Adult Learners Week, hundreds of adult learners in Narok East Sub County have come out to celebrate the gains they have made in their quench for education.

The Kenya Demographic Health Survey (KDHS) ranked the county top in teenage pregnancy at 40 per cent. In 2022, the county performed better and was ranked position four at 22 percent, though way above the 18 percent national average.

High teenage pregnancy and early marriages have been associated with rampant school dropout that raise illiteracy levels in the community.

In the celebrations, the adult learners, who were mostly women, made processions in Ntulele, Suswa and Iseneto trading centers where they sensitized the community on the need for education.

Ms. Mary Kisongoi, a 65 year old woman cheered education saying though she did not have a chance to go to school at a tender age, she has now gained basic education in the Adult learning centers.

‘I was married at the age of 16 years. I was a total orphan so I had no one to enroll me in school. Initially, I could not read or write, or even communicate in Kiswahili; however, after attending school, I can now communicate in Kiswahili and do some basic mathematics,’ she said.

Kisongoi who enrolled for basic education at Iseneto Adult learning centre expressed her interest in Mathematics saying she wants to become a successful business woman.

‘This has motivated me to educate all my children because I now know the importance of education. We train other women to shun retrogressive cultures that compromise education in our area,’ she said.

The elderly women revealed they have been training midwives to respect young girls who have not undergone Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) and assist them like any other women when giving birth.

‘Before, when a young girl, who has not undergone FGM gave birth, she would forcefully be circumcised without her consent, however, this is slowly changing as the community is embracing basic education,’ she said.

Ms. Mary Kipenyu, 50, also did not attend school in her childhood because her parents married her off at a tender age, when education was not valued in the society.

Because of her lack of education, she could not read or write; neither could she speak or understand Kiswahili and English language. She confessed that this limited her way of doing things as she used to use her children to access her bank accounts, M-Pesa services among other key businesses.

But Kipenyu is a happy woman as her three year stay at Iseneto Adult Learning Center has changed her way of life. She can easily transact money through her mobile phone, visit major cities like Nairobi, as she can comfortably speak Swahili.

Banner showing the Adult Learners Week that commenced on August 28th to September 1st 2023.

Ms. Alice

Nakola, a teacher at Iseneto Adult Learning Center said most of her students are women who come to learn the basic education so as to improve their standards of livelihood.

‘I am astonished by the way the women are hungry for education. Most of them regret that they did not go to school in their childhood days and have committed to taking their children to school,’ she observed.

Enosupukia Chief Dansen Reson lauded the community for embracing education saying in the past years, the community suffered because of retrogressive cultural practices that undermined education.

‘Challenges like FGM, teenage pregnancy, early marriages and far locations of schools contributed to high illiteracy levels in our county. However, the trend is slowly changing as both women and men are embracing education,’ reiterated the chief.

Narok County Director of Adult and Continuing Education Mr. Benjamin Obonyo said there are 74 adult learning centers in the county with a total of 2, 866 learners. Among the adult learners, the director said, are 1041 are men while 1825 are women aged between 16 and 76 years old.

‘The old perform better than the young people. This shows how serious the elders take education. I urge all young people in school to embrace education to avoid learning when they are old,’ he said.

Out of the adult learners, 43 have registered to sit for Kenya Certificate of Primary Education (KCPE), while 15 others will be sitting for their Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE).

He lauded a Non-Governmental Organization dubbed ForumCIV that has been collaborating with his office to boost literacy levels in the county.

According to ForumCIV Program officer Ms. Mercy Koini, the organization has established seven Adult Learning Centres in the county and employed 14 teachers, who teach the adult learners.

Koini noted that they choose to work in the area because of the high illiteracy levels, and as a way of empowering the community to engage in community development forums.

‘We are happy because the learned women can now attend the chief’s forums and contribute key points without fear. The community has been empowered to do business as they can calculate their losses and profits without a middle person,’ she said.

Also key in the programme is a community resource centre that is well equipped with computers and textbooks where both young and adult learners converge to do their studies.

The Adult Learning week began on August 28th to September 1st with an aim of sensitizing the community on the importance of embracing basic education regardless of the age.

The National celebrations of the Adult Learners Day will be held on September 8th at Emurua Dikirr area in Trans Mara East Sub County. This year’s theme is ‘Literacy enhances cohesion and sustainable development’.

Source: Kenya News Agency