A total of 178 adult learners sat for this year’s Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) examinations in Kajiado North Sub-County, the Adult Education Office has announced.
Addressing the press, Adult Education Officer Monicah Naisenya said the sub-county currently has eight recognised adult learning centres, both government-run and privately owned.
“We are encouraging those individuals who missed out on formal schooling to join any of these centres and at least learn basic education,” she said. “And for those who dropped out, we urge them to continue from where they stopped.”
Naisenya revealed that enrollment across the eight centres averages 750 to 780 learners, a significant drop from nearly 2,000 adult learners previously. The decline, she said, has forced two centres to shut down.
“Currently, we have more women than men adult learners, and this arises from the fact that men are usually the ones given priority to study, leaving many women illiterate,” she noted.
The AEO emphasised that education remains essential for navigating life, adding that adult learning centres teach not only the national curriculum but also life skills, with experts invited to equip learners with knowledge to help them grow economically.
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“The greatest challenges we are facing as the adult education sector are a lack of facilities, including stationery, laboratories for practical classes, enough instructors to facilitate learning, and adequate classrooms,” she said.
“Lack of instructors has forced us to have all learners study in the same classroom, despite them being at different levels,” she added.
Naisenya explained that the department continues to follow up on adult learners even after they have completed KCSE, referring them to government programmes where they can apply for bursaries and proceed to colleges or universities.
“Adult learners know and understand what they want, hence they easily grasp content within a very short period,” she said. She added that the sector works to protect its members’ self-esteem and to minimise the stigma associated with returning to school as adults.
To reduce trauma and shame, she said, the department has made small but significant adjustments—such as referring to the institutions as centres rather than schools and calling instructors instead of teachers.
“I would like to discourage society from using the term ‘Ngumbaru’ to refer to adult learners,” she said. “I invite every adult who needs education to come fearlessly and improve their life because it is free of charge.”
Kajiado North has a fair distribution of adult education centres, with facilities in Ongata Rongai, two in Kiserian, two in Embulbul, two in Ngong, and one in Kibiko.
Kenya’s Vision 2030 targets raising adult literacy to 80 per cent, with programmes offered through the Directorate of Adult and Continuing Education covering literacy, numeracy, digital skills and vocational training, delivered through centres and increasingly through e-learning.
By Kimutai Langat
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