By Wasike Elvis and Lucy Nyokabi
The illiteracy levels among adults in Uasin Gishu has risen to 27.8% most of them being women.
Speaking to the press, Uasin Gishu Director of Adult Education, Peter Motari said that it was as a result of outdated cultural practices.
“It is sad that the illiteracy level in the County has increased to 27.8 percent, with women having the largest number. The main cause for this is outdated cultural practices such as early marriages which lead to them dropping out of school,” said Motari.
He noted that education was the right of every individual regardless of their age.
“I want to call upon those who haven’t stepped their foot in class to join elderly education for them to gain knowledge and be literate just like others. Our aim is to ensure that at least every individual has access to education,” he added.
He revealed that the elderly education programme not only dealt in reading and writing but also on development of skills in nutrition, agriculture and environmental conservation among other issues that the society revolves around.
Motari added that there were seventy-five additional classes to aid adult education, but volunteers and part-time teachers were few with only three being permanent and paid by the government.
“I am calling upon the government to recruit more teachers to replace those that retired so that the programme can meet the demands of the community,” he said.
