ASSESSMENT OF ADULT LITERACY THROUGH EDUCATIONAL BROADCASTING IN NIGERIA

Abstract

This paper undertook a cursory study at the extent of adult literacy attained through educational 
broadcasting in Nigeria. With a brief introduction on the origin and development of the concept 
of educational broadcasting in Nigeria. The paper highlights among others, the improvement in 
adult literacy in Nigeria through the effective utilization of educational broadcasting. The work 
identifies the importance of educational broadcasting to teaching and learning as a means of 
encouraging a greater understanding of a subject matter through the means of presentation 
which is always clear, straight forward and in simple language especially to the adults as target 
audience. Meanwhile, adult literacy or adult education is a practice in which adults engage in 
systematic and sustained self-educating activities in order to gain new forms of knowledge, skill, 
attitudes or values. It can entail any form of learning where adults and not children engage in 
beyond traditional schooling, encompassing basic literacy to personal fulfillment as a lifelong 
learner and to ensure the fulfillment of one’s desires as an individual. However, some of the 
challenges of educational broadcasting in improving the level of adult literacy were 
identified.Some of the problems as observed include among others erratic and irregular power 
supply, inadequate man power resources, equipment, poor storage, facilities and timing. Hence 
the work recommends that bearing in mind the imperatives of educational broadcasting as a 
means of improving literacy among the teaming illiterate adults in the country the Nigeria 
government at all levels: local, state and federal should not only improve on educational 
broadcasting but adequately channels the resources for its improved utilization. In addition, the 
government should ensure that experts and professionals in the field of educational broadcasting 
are well trained, employed and enumerated in areas where they are needed so as to solve the 
problem of human resources and manpower in the sector.