CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1 Background to the Study

Civic awareness is the knowledge people have of their rights and duties as citizens, of how government and public institutions work, and of the ways in which they can take part in public life, for example by voting, paying taxes, obeying laws, joining community associations and holding leaders to account. A citizen who cannot read notices, ballot papers, health messages or public documents is at a disadvantage in exercising these rights. Literacy is therefore often treated as a foundation for active citizenship. The Fifth Global Report on Adult Learning and Education is devoted to citizenship education, and presents adult learning and education as a means of empowering adults for change and enabling them to take part in social, economic and political life (UNESCO Institute for Lifelong Learning [UIL], 2022). The Marrakech Framework for Action similarly calls for adult learning that supports active and global citizenship (UNESCO, 2022).

Nigeria’s National Policy on Education includes civic and public enlightenment among the aims of adult and non-formal education, and adult literacy curricula usually include civic education, health education and life skills alongside reading, writing and numeracy. Whether these programmes in fact raise civic awareness is less clear. Nigerian scholars have begun to examine connections between literacy and civic life. Bessong et al. (2024), for example, investigated the effect of digital literacy on learners’ civic engagement in adult and vocational education in Nigeria, underlining that civic outcomes are a recognised target of adult and vocational education research. Nkansah (2022) found that in two rural Ghanaian communities adult literacy did not necessarily lead to community development unless it was linked to community-based, people-led action. Belete et al. (2022) report that African community learning centres pursue outcomes such as participation in community development, and that community ownership and involvement is central to their success.

At the same time, there are reasons for caution. Kolawole and Pusoetsile (2022) found no significant difference in literacy attainment between participants and non-participants of an adult basic education programme in rural Botswana and linked this to programme weaknesses. If literacy skills themselves are not strongly acquired, civic outcomes may be limited. Akintolu et al. (2022) also show that learner, facilitator and government factors constrain adult learning centres, which may affect the civic content of programmes. Civic awareness may in addition be acquired outside literacy classes, for instance through radio, church, town unions and social media, so it is important to test how much adult literacy programmes contribute.

Enugu State is a suitable place for such a test. It has an urban capital, Enugu, as well as semi-urban and rural communities, a strong tradition of town unions and community associations, and a university town in Nsukka. Continuing education and literacy centres operate there under the State’s agency for adult and non-formal education. Existing Enugu-focused work has looked at ICT use in adult literacy teaching in skill acquisition centres (Aniagor & Ezenwa, 2025) and at ICT and literacy skills among adults in Nsukka Urban (Igwe et al., 2020), but civic awareness has not been directly studied. This study examines the effect of adult literacy education on civic awareness among adult learners in selected centres in Enugu North, Enugu South and Nsukka Local Government Areas.

The wider context underscores the need for such evidence. Adult literacy in Nigeria is estimated at about 70.4 per cent (World Bank, 2025), and a very large number of adults remain non-literate (allAfrica, 2025). For these adults, adult education may be the main route to understanding their rights and responsibilities. Evidence on its civic effect will help planners decide how much emphasis to place on civic content.

1.2 Statement of the Problem

Adult literacy programmes in Enugu State are expected to make adults not only able to read and write, but also more informed and responsible citizens. Programme guidelines include civic education, and officials often assert that literacy improves participation in community affairs. However, there is little empirical evidence on whether adult learners in Enugu centres are more aware of their civic rights and duties than adults who have not attended classes.

Studies elsewhere suggest that the link between literacy programmes and civic or community outcomes is not automatic (Nkansah, 2022; Kolawole & Pusoetsile, 2022). Constraints in centres, including facilitators, materials and government support, may weaken the civic content of programmes (Akintolu et al., 2022). It is also unclear whether some aspects of civic awareness (for example, knowledge of voting rights, tax obligations, public services or local governance) are affected more than others, or whether the effect differs by gender, age or length of participation.

Without such evidence, the State agency and centre managers cannot judge whether the civic component of the curriculum is effective or needs strengthening. The problem of this study is therefore the lack of empirical evidence on the effect of adult literacy education on civic awareness among adult learners in selected adult literacy centres in Enugu North, Enugu South and Nsukka Local Government Areas of Enugu State.

1.3 Objectives of the Study

The main objective of the study is to determine the effect of adult literacy education on civic awareness among adult learners in selected adult literacy centres in Enugu State. The specific objectives are to:

1. assess adult learners’ level of awareness of their civic rights and responsibilities;

2. determine the effect of adult literacy education on learners’ knowledge of governance and public institutions;

3. examine the effect of adult literacy education on learners’ participation in community activities and civic duties (such as voting and community association meetings);

4. compare the civic awareness of learners who have completed the programme with that of those newly enrolled;

5. find out whether civic awareness differs by gender, age and length of participation; and

6. identify the challenges that limit the promotion of civic awareness in the centres.

1.4 Research Questions

1. What is the level of civic awareness among adult learners in the selected centres?

2. What is the effect of adult literacy education on learners’ knowledge of governance and public institutions?

3. What is the effect of adult literacy education on learners’ participation in community activities and civic duties?

4. Is there a difference between the civic awareness of learners who have completed the programme and that of newly enrolled learners?

5. Does civic awareness differ by gender, age and length of participation?

6. What challenges limit the promotion of civic awareness in the centres?

1.5 Research Hypotheses

The following null hypotheses were tested at the 0.05 level of significance:

H₀₁: Adult literacy education has no significant effect on adult learners’ awareness of civic rights and responsibilities.

H₀₂: Adult literacy education has no significant effect on learners’ knowledge of governance and public institutions.

H₀₃: Adult literacy education has no significant effect on learners’ participation in community activities and civic duties.

H₀₄: There is no significant difference in civic awareness between learners who have completed the programme and those newly enrolled.

H₀₅: There is no significant difference in civic awareness between male and female learners.

1.6 Significance of the Study

Adult learners. The study will identify how literacy classes help adults understand their rights and duties, encouraging them to take part in public life.

Facilitators and curriculum planners. They will learn which civic topics and methods are effective and can strengthen the civic content of lessons.

Enugu State agency for adult and non-formal education and NMEC. The findings can inform curriculum review and training of facilitators.

Community associations, town unions and electoral and civic bodies. They can use the findings to target civic enlightenment to adults who are less well reached.

Development partners. They will have evidence for designing civic education components in literacy projects, in line with the emphasis on citizenship education in UIL (2022).

Researchers. The study adds direct evidence on civic outcomes to a Nigerian literature that has focused more on ICT and vocational outcomes (Aniagor & Ezenwa, 2025; Bessong et al., 2024).

1.7 Scope and Delimitation of the Study

The study is limited to selected adult literacy and continuing education centres in Nsukka Local Government Area of Enugu State. It covers adult learners aged 18 years and above in basic and post-literacy classes, and their facilitators. It focuses on civic awareness, defined as knowledge of rights and duties, knowledge of governance and public institutions, and participation in community and civic activities, during the 2025/2026 session. It does not cover partisan political activity, and does not evaluate reading and writing attainment.

1.8 Limitations of the Study

The study covers one local government areas and cannot be generalised to all of Enugu State or Nigeria. Civic awareness is also shaped by sources outside the centres, such as radio, churches and town unions, so the study can establish association and perceived effect more confidently than strict causation. Some respondents may be reluctant to discuss political matters, and may give socially desirable answers; questions will be framed neutrally and confidentiality assured. Learners with limited literacy will have items read to them in Igbo or English as they prefer.

1.9 Operational Definition of Terms

Adult literacy education: organised instruction in reading, writing and numeracy for adults, often combined with life skills and civic education.

Civic awareness: adults’ knowledge of their rights and duties as citizens, of how government and public institutions work, and of ways of taking part in community and public life.

Civic participation: actions such as voting, attending community meetings, joining associations, paying taxes and reporting public problems.

Governance: the ways in which authority is exercised in local, state and national government.

Adult learner: a person aged 18 years or above enrolled in an adult literacy class.

Adult literacy centre: a designated venue where adult literacy classes are held regularly.

References

Akintolu, M., Uleanya, C., & Letseka, M. (2022). Examining key challenges in the programmes of adult community learning centres in KwaZulu-Natal. Journal of Adult and Continuing Education. https://doi.org/10.1177/14779714211070307

allAfrica. (2025, August 1). Nigeria: Basic education – Govt targets 80 million non-literate youths and adults. https://allafrica.com/stories/202508010056.html

Aniagor, E. N., & Ezenwa, A. O. (2025). Information communication technology in utilization of teaching adult literacy programmes in skill acquisition centers in Enugu State. Journal of Continuing and Development Education, 5(1), 179–189. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.17064077

Belete, S., Duke, C., Hinzen, H., et al. (2022). Community learning centres (CLCs) for adult learning and education (ALE): Development in and by communities. International Review of Education, 68. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11159-022-09954-w

Bessong, C. D., Ewuru, A. A., Bessong, N. O., Omang, T. N., Olori, G. I., Patrick, E. O., Olofu, A. P., & Olori, C. N. (2024). Digital literacy and its effect on learners’ civic engagement in adult and vocational education in Nigeria. Masyarakat, Kebudayaan dan Politik, 37(4), 418–431. https://doi.org/10.20473/mkp.V37I42024.418-431

Igwe, N. J., Kadiri, G. C., & Ekwueme, J. (2020). Impact of information and communication technology on acquiring the literacy skills outside the classroom among adults in Nsukka Urban. Journal of Language Teaching and Research, 11(6), 881–892. https://doi.org/10.17507/jltr.1106.03

Kolawole, O. D., & Pusoetsile, T. (2022). What difference does literacy make among adult learners? Impact of adult basic education programme in a rural community in Botswana. Journal of Adult and Continuing Education, 28(1), 227–251. https://doi.org/10.1177/14779714211007495

Nkansah, T. (2022). The role of adult literacy in community development in Ghana: Perceptions and experiences of two rural communities. The International Journal of Community and Social Development, 4(3). https://doi.org/10.1177/25166026221110728

UNESCO. (2022). Marrakech Framework for Action: Harnessing the transformational power of adult learning and education (Seventh International Conference on Adult Education). UNESCO.

UNESCO Institute for Lifelong Learning. (2022). 5th global report on adult learning and education: Citizenship education – Empowering adults for change. UNESCO Institute for Lifelong Learning.

World Bank. (2025). Literacy rate, adult total (% of people ages 15 and above) – Nigeria [Data set]. World Development Indicators. https://fred.stlouisfed.org