Post-literacy and vocational training in the context of rural development and income generation in Africa

Abstract

This article views post-literacy and vocational training as well as rural development in the wider context of holistic human self-development, particularly income-generation and economic issues. It is suggested that rural unemployment and poverty have gone beyond being matters of regional concern affecting only a section of a community, to becoming critical issues of national survival. Two educational solutions to these problems are discussed. First, the integration of productive work into school education, as in Tanzania, and in one of the states of Nigeria. Second, post-literacy and out-of-school training projects through which education, skill-training and income-generation are achievedpari passu. Descriptions are given of the Village Polytechnic of Kenya, the Builders' Brigades of Botswana and the Folk Development Colleges of Tanzania, after which elements of the dynamics of their success are discussed. The article concludes that the economic advantages of the models outlined make it imperative for other African countries to adopt similar approaches to adult nonformal education, whatever the differing ideological orientations of the countries may be.