Triumphs,Challenges,and Prospects of the Adult Basic Education Programme in Botswana

Abstract

Adult education is an internationally recognised framework for national development, especially for unemployed youth and adult learners. The study focuses on Botswana’s Adult Basic Education Programme (ABEP). Though the programme is monitored continuously, beneficiaries’ views of the triumphs, challenges, and prospects they face are still unknown, which led to the current study evaluating the programme at four villages in Botswana’s Kgalagadi district through face-to-face interviews and focus group discussions with education officers, adult educators, and learners. The findings revealed that Botswana has a strong policy for adult education and training, which can ensure providing qualified educators for the programme; ABEP can be workable, achievable, and sustainable if adequately monitored and improved; bad road infrastructure, inadequately qualified educators and limited educational resources, etc. stall the prospects of ABEP. The article sheds insights into how far adult and continuing education can capacitate its beneficiaries.

“Adult education is essential for Botswana to combat the negative effects of illiteracy.”

Introduction

This study evaluated ABEP’s triumphs, challenges, and prospects for its beneficiaries. Providing universal access to basic education has been Botswana’s key priority to benefit all its people. Several educational policies and programmes have been instituted over the years to serve the out-of-school populace. The National Policy on Education (NPE) of 1977, revised in 1994 (Botswana Government, 1994), and the National Literacy Programme (NLP) of 1981 (Oats & Gumbo, 2019) are central to this mission. However, the Revised National Policy on Education (RNPE) provided a sound policy framework for educational development, especially the NLP, to serve adult basic education (UNESCO Institute for Lifelong Learning, 2024). NLP aimed to make education accessible to adults and youth affected by the colonial education system, making them self-reliant and improving their standard of living. The Botswana Government commissioned the Department of Non-Formal Education (DNFE) to develop and implement non-formal educational projects nationally through the NLP. The NLP’s curriculum comprised Basic Literacy, the Literacy at the Workplace Project, Income Generating Projects, the Village Reading Rooms Project, and English as a Second Language (UNESCO Institute for Lifelong Learning, 2024).

NLP was widely evaluated and found to have increased access to basic education, wherein youth and adult literacy rates rose from 83.3% and 68% in 1990 to 94% and 83%, respectively, between 2003 and 2008 (UNESCO Institute for Lifelong Learning, 2024). Kgalagadi South and Kgalagadi North had 22 906 and 15 261 people in 2003, respectively, aged ten and more, who never attended school (Botswana Government, 2003). While life skills, functional literacy, and vocational skills were rising, failure to address participants’ basic needs and interests and eradicate youth and adult literacy, lack of resources, and drop-out rates, partly caused by using Setswana and English as teaching languages, thus excluding learners of other languages and cultures also prevailed (UNESCO Institute for Lifelong Learning, 2024). This situation prompted the Government to institutionalise out-of-school ABEP in 2009 as part of its overall Vision 2016 plan and in line with RNPE’s (1994) recommendations (Republic of Botswana, 2014). ABEP, also known as Thuto Ga E Golelwe (it is never too late to learn), is a comprehensive, integrated, outcome-based, modularised, and fully accredited lifelong educational and skills training programme for out-of-school groups (UNESCO Institute for Lifelong Learning, 2024). Department of Out of School Education and Training (DOSET) officially launched the programme in 2010 and fully rolled it out in 2012 (UNESCO Institute for Lifelong Learning, 2024). It targets out-of-school youth and adults with little literacy and numeracy skills, and those who could not access basic education through NLP.

ABEP’s curriculum aims to offer learners basic educational training equivalent to seven years of learning under Botswana's formal primary school system and opportunities for training in a wide range of life skills (UNESCO Institute for Lifelong Learning, 2024). It integrates various basic literacy and practical skills training components, which include: (1) literacy and numeracy, (2) languages for non-Setswana speakers Setswana, and English for all, (3) general studies categorised as social issues, health, economy and work, science and technology, and (4) practical and pre-vocational skills training (UNESCO Institute for Lifelong Learning, 2024). Unlike its predecessor, NLP, ABEP now includes ethnic minorities, people with special learning needs, and disadvantaged and often marginalised rural communities (UNESCO Institute for Lifelong Learning, 2024).

DOSET officials continuously monitor, assess, and evaluate ABEP to make the necessary amendments (UNESCO Institute for Lifelong Learning, 2024). It found challenges like low and irregular attendance rates, limited infrastructure, non-enforcement of policy recommendations, etc. (UNESCO Institute for Lifelong Learning, 2024). However, triumphs, challenges, and prospects presented by ABEP to its beneficiaries (i.e. learners) have not yet been evaluated, thus necessitating the current study. Anselmo (2019) analysed the relationship between illiteracy and extreme poverty in Zambezia District, Mozambique, with 250 students attending adult education. The key finding was that linking adult education with cultural identity develops rural areas rather than depending on foreign financial aid. Maphosa and Oughton (2021) explored the relevance of adult numeracy education to Zimbabwean migrants’ needs and aspirations in England. The learners felt that their prior numeracy learning done in Zimbabwe was not considered; teaching approaches were irrelevant to them. Mugo et al.’s (2014) conceptual study revealed factors that hamper adult education in Africa, including policy, quality, relevance and access, language, etc. These studies help contextualise these and other issues – within Botswana in this study. The study’s objectives are to (1) explore the triumphs and benefits of ABEP to the beneficiaries regarding the advancement of their livelihood, (2) assess the challenges they face in implementing the programme, and (3) establish the envisioned prospects for the programme.

Literature Review

Education is crucial to societal development since it enhances the human condition by fostering more intelligence, improving health and living standards, greater social justice, and higher productivity levels. Education is a deliberate endeavour that can take place in many settings besides traditional classrooms. The goal of this deliberate action is not limited to disseminating information but also encompasses the transfer of norms, practices, abilities, and sensibilities. Knowledge, understanding, value, growth, care, and behaviour can all be achieved through education (Chazan, 2022, pp. 13–21).

Education for the out-of-school populace includes people who missed basic education for one reason or another. Their latent competencies could only be unearthed through quality education provisioning. In this light, the Botswana Government introduced the NLP as a major adult literacy initiative (Motiki, 2006). The NLP delineated literacy from the initial stages: reading, writing, and calculating. Conversely, over the years of the NLP implementation, it turned out that the provision of reading, writing and arithmetic was insufficient, creating a need to make literacy functional to make it more helpful to learners in their daily lives (Motiki, 2006). We adopted UNESCO’s (2017, p. 6) functional literacy definition:

A person is functionally literate who can engage in all those activities in which literacy is required for effective functioning of his group and community and also for enabling him to continue to use reading, writing, and calculation for his own and the community’s development

A functionally literate person can use the acquired reading and writing skills to contribute to socioeconomic development and develop social awareness and critical reflection for personal and social change (Surwanti & Hikmah, 2019; UNESCO, 2000, 2003).

Subsequently, the Botswana Ministry of Education introduced income-generating projects in the NLP to make adult learning enterprising. In this context, therefore, adult literacy means the provision of basic reading, writing, and numeracy skills and other post-literacy activities designed to help the neo-literates to practice functional literacy skills (Maruatona, 2012). From a functional literacy perspective, ABEP can capacitate its graduates with these skills (i.e. reading, writing, and numeracy) to do well within their society.

The Botswana Government recommended, through the RNPE of 1994 (Botswana Government, 1994), that the Department of Non-Formal Education should prioritise functional literacy activities to develop a literate environment and support the introduction of activities related to traditional agriculture and the informal sector. For this reason, this study evaluates ABEP to reveal its achievements and areas for improvement going forward. ABEP strives to support all learners, prompting its access is vital to achieving its goals. Policies such as the Education-For-All (EFA) of 1994 and the Domestic Inclusive Education Policy of 2012, among others, aim to accommodate learner diversity and, in turn, curb their marginalisation at all levels. As such, access to education can empower learners to improve their livelihoods after completing their education and training. Inclusivity in education can increase employment chances, lead to lifelong learning, and enhance the quality of life for persons with disabilities (Oats & Disele, 2019). UNESCO (1994) maintains that every child has a fundamental right to education and must be allowed to achieve and maintain an acceptable level of learning. Those with special educational needs, youth and adults who, for one reason or another, did not attend formal school must be allowed to access learning and training in alternative modes. When disadvantaged people can learn and acquire skills, knowledge, and competencies, combating discriminatory attitudes and achieving education for all would be realised.

While the above condition is what most nations wish to achieve, it is not yet clear whether the rollout of ABEP is realising its intended goals for its beneficiaries. Some of the goals of the programme are to (1) make people earn a living with dignity and thus improve the quality of their lives, (2) provide young people and adults opportunities to further their initial education, (3) provide adults opportunities to acquire work-related skills that will improve their productivity and standard of living (Republic of Botswana, 2010).

Theoretical Framework

This study is framed within andragogy, an adult learning theory. Its institutions existed several centuries before schools for children were established; it emanated from the Hellenistic and Jewish cultures of ancient times (Henschke, 2016). This study is compatible with Knowles’ (cited in Kapur, 2015) theory of andragogy, which maintains that adults are self-directed and expect to take responsibility for decisions, including learning (Knowles, 1970). Similarly, Kapur (2015) points out that adults control their learning, draw upon their experiences as resources, and need to ensure that learning is productive and useful. To realise these aspects, the theory maintains that the design of learning should be practical, focus more on the process and less on the content being taught, and use strategies such as case studies, role-playing, simulations, and self-evaluation. This implies that teachers adopt the role of facilitator or resource rather than lecturer. Hanselmann (1951) argues that andragogy is not about adult schools but about helping adults with the learning process and regards andragogy’s goals as a continuation of the goals of teaching. Hence, andragogy should contribute to adults’ self-education, a life process independent of school as an institution (Hanselmann, 1951). This theory allowed our study to evaluate ABEP, including its rollout, assessment strategies, teaching methodologies commonly used, and teacher competencies. The theory helped us understand the dynamics of adult learning gleaned from the participants’ views and experiences of ABEP.

Methods and Materials

We followed a qualitative research approach and interpretive paradigm to engage a constructive pathway (Pouliot, 2007). Adopting interpretivism, we better understood how participants (humans) negotiated and derived meaning from the dynamics of their world (Gumbo, 2016) as they underwent training through ABEP. Our standpoint was that the world is made up of humans, making it dissimilar from the natural world (Williamson, 2002); humans can tell their experiences of a phenomenon, in the case of this article, ABEP. Interpretivism supports naturalistic inquiry, which we adopted through a single case study, and employs an inductive style of reasoning (Williamson, 2006). We benefited from collecting data in rural areas, with most people who missed formal education at a young age. We gathered the experiences of adult learners, educators, and education officers through the case study.

Sample

The contexts and participants were purposively selected. The participants were accessed through the Regional Education Office and the education officers overseeing adult education. We used the lists provided by the Office to select only active adult learners in the programme from four villages in the Kgalagadi district. These were the youth and adults who did not have the opportunity to undergo formal schooling. They had to be Level 3 (equivalent to upper primary) learners in the programme, aged between 30 and 60, already employed, self-employed or ready to do so upon completion. This district was chosen because it is one of the widest districts in Botswana, yet less developed and detached from the mainstream sociolinguistic, socioeconomic, and sociopolitical activities (Oats, 2017). It is characterised by inadequate infrastructural development, low level of education, minimal opportunities for economic advancement, and lack of information and knowledge about various opportunities in the country (Oats, 2017, p. 46670). The word Kgalagadi means land of thirst. The district’s conditions better informed us about the challenges, triumphs and prospects of ABEP and its transformational effects on the learners’ livelihoods, that is, to quench their education and training “thirst.” Kgalagadi is a southwest Botswana district bordering Namibia and South Africa. The district covers 105 200 km² of the Kalahari Desert, with a population of 50 492 in 2011. It is divided into Kgalagadi North and Kgalagadi South. In 2011, it had 41 public schools and no private schools. From the learner lists provided, the first four (one from each village) who volunteered to participate in the study were selected. Through the officers’ advice, the selected learners were more experienced with the programme. Also, the first four volunteering educators (one from each village) and two education officers were selected to participate in the study, all adding up to ten participants. The selected educators had a General Certificate in Secondary Education, while the education officers had a Diploma in Adult Education and a Bachelor’s degree in Adult Education or Secondary Education. The participants were approached after we were granted permission to conduct the study.

Data Collection and Methods

One-on-one semi-structured interviews were conducted with the educators and education officers and focus group interviews with learners. The focus group interviews lasted about 1 hour, while individual interviews lasted between 30 and 45 minutes. Follow-up interviews were conducted to gather more information on identified areas during the analysis and to do member-checking. All the interviews were audiotaped and transcribed to provide a means of analysis. This facilitated our understanding and meaning-making of the natural setting of the teaching area. The teaching sites provided a disturbance-free venue on agreed days and times with participants. We probed the participants if necessary to ensure complete coverage of the questions asked. Probing covered the questions relating to their experiences with ABEP, the benefits and challenges that learners and educators experienced.

Numerous research decisions and actions were undertaken to ensure the trustworthiness of the findings. Data analysis followed thematic building, aligned with the research objectives. The analysis happened alongside data collection in inductive and iterative ways (Creswell, 2012). We read and reread the data to familiarise ourselves with it before coding it for theme building (Creswell, 2012). The findings were ultimately presented according to the main and sub-themes.

Permission to collect data at the identified sites was sought from the office of the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Basic Education and the Kgalagadi Regional Operations Office. This action facilitated the informed consent of the participants as a pivotal aspect of research ethics (Mills, 2003). The participants consented to participate after information about the study was disclosed. They were assured confidentiality after they opted for the non-disclosure of their names and identities and the freedom to withdraw their participation without any implications.

Findings and Discussion

This study sought to evaluate ABEP regarding the triumphs, challenges, and prospects related to the sustainability and improvement of the livelihoods among its beneficiaries (i.e. adult learners). The themes that emerged from data analysis and were decided in line with the research objectives are benefits, challenges, and ABEP’s envisioned prospects.

Salient Triumphs of the ABEP to Learners

The findings revealed that adult learners enrolled in ABEP benefited from it to a greater extent. Firstly, ABEP was an illiteracy alleviator. One participant stated thus: The programme … is capable of alleviating illiteracy among people who failed to go through the formal system of schooling. Another important benefit is that ABEP supports sustainable development for most people who are poor due to distant amenities. One learner had this to say: For us in the Kgalagadi area, where there are no other schools we could go to after dropping out from the formal system, the programme is an opportunity to acquire basic writing and reading skills. As we speak, I can sign for myself at offices and read and understand. This catalytic effect of ABEP capacitated the beneficiaries with functional literacy (Oats & Gumbo, 2019). Hence, ABEP was important to beneficiaries and somewhat complemented their prior knowledge. Most importantly, ABEP gave them a second chance to attend school (UNESCO Institute for Lifelong Learning, 2024).

Learners could now perform tasks they never did before. Adeyemi and Adeyenka (2003) note that Botswana’s traditional educational system laid a foundation for beneficiaries to acquire diverse skills. When they can read and write, they become a whole person. Learners acquired functional skills to improve their lives and contribute to society.

The findings also revealed that ABEP is suited for rural communities. The participants felt it benefits people who go through the programme. One educator expressed this notion thus: ABEP is important since its mandate is to cater for the less privileged in society. This view supports Oats and Gumbo’s (2019) findings that ABEP, which targets all adult learners and the out-of-school populace, has shown positive outcomes. Thus, the programme suits the remote areas more. However, this educator had some misgivings about ABEP, it needs to be practically more learner-centred and inclusive. Resources should be availed for it to run smoothly. Thus, monitoring and evaluating the programme has not touched on this aspect (UNESCO Institute for Lifelong Learning, 2024). Learner-centredness is crucial considering the self-directedness of adult learning (Knowles, 1970). In line with the requirements of andragogy (Kapur, 2015), educators of adult learners must be facilitators and ensure learners engage more in practical learning activities. The educators’ role is to help learners drive their learning; hence, placing them right at the centre of learning (Hanselmann, 1951).

The United Nations’ Global Report on Adult Learning and Education (ALE) maintains that everyone should be given a fair chance in education and training. Not everyone has the same opportunity to access and benefit from ALE. UNESCO (2016, p. 12) argues thus:

Not everyone has the same chance to get a decent job, develop their competences and capabilities, improve their lives or contribute to the communities in which they live and work. If things continue as they are – and without a significant sea change in political outlook there is every chance they will – the benefits of adult learning will continue to coalesce around the better-off and most advantaged in society, reinforcing and even intensifying existing inequalities, rather than helping the least advantaged individuals and communities.

An adult learning programme can change the situation in Botswana and other similar contexts with its massive rollout. One education officer confirmed this claim thus: Private companies and other government departments have hired some learners and, as such, get salaries to improve their standard of living. This is an important outcome and ABEP’s impact. We learnt from this finding that the programme promotes the personal development of its participants.

ABEP’s Envisioned Prospects

Through ABEP, Botswana’s literacy has increased significantly (81%) (Statistics Botswana, 2014). Apart from this achievement, the country has actively diversified ABEP and reviewed the curricula used (UNESCO Institute for Lifelong Learning, 2024) to suit adult learners even more – considering the 2004 NLP, the Ministry of Education and Skills Development’s Department of Non-Formal Education has been developing the material to enhance Adult Education and Training (Republic of Botswana, 2010).

Another ABEP’s significant development is hiring new and qualified facilitators who hold first degrees in different disciplines. They are oriented through a collaboration between the Department of Non-Formal Education and the University of Botswana’s Department of Adult Education (Republic of Botswana, 2008). This is to reskill educators to be compatible with teaching adult learners. Thus, ABEP provides a strategy for illiteracy and poverty alleviation, especially in rural areas such as Kgalagadi, where most poor, mainly female-headed households live (Oats & Gumbo, 2019). For this reason, participants were asked to share the prospects of ABEP beneficiaries. One education officer said we have big hopes for this programme because more numbers are enrolling since some learners graduate successfully. This officer also indicated that those who graduated promote ABEP among other potential adult learners; this alone indicates that ABEP has the potential to expand and respond effectively to adult learners’ needs. One learner said that ABEP had opened doors for people in rural areas. Learners also believed that they could read, write and perform their daily tasks confidently after graduating, as one learner attested, I make orders for myself rather than relying on my children and, therefore, I hope that after completing the programme, I shall be fully equipped to run my business very well. This implies functional literacy, espousing the ideals of andragogy, where learners must engage in “independent” learning with functional outcomes, graduating them as entrepreneurs (Braunerhjelm, 2009). They can start or run their current businesses effectively after acquiring new knowledge and skills. As indicated above, learners could now read and write independently and identify and apply for funding opportunities.

Challenges Faced in the Implementation of ABEP

Despite ABEP’s successes, it experienced implementation challenges, such as learners’ attitudes, lack of resources, bad terrain, and unavailability of educators. When asked to share the challenges faced, one education officer said the programme was just rolled out without enough resources. Most learners are from remote settlements, and as such, not much can be obtained in such areas. This statement indicates that resources were not prioritised for learners.

Another dynamic challenge relates to teaching within andragogy. Maruatona (2012) advocates for active participants. Their vociferousness is required in decision-making to allow them to define their needs and responsibilities during learning. Botswana’s literacy planning must evoke participatory approaches, thus shifting the ownership of the planning outcomes to the participants in their local contexts. Adult learners must first be consulted about their needs for the programme.

Another concern is related to learning venues. There were no designated venues for ABEP learners. Instead, churches and public schools were used. Such venues are restrictive because learners cannot access them as and when they want to use them. One participant said: When we started, we were hosted by one church in the village; in our second year, we moved to one primary school, but even at the school, we changed rooms often. The learning environment for adult learners, including the venue and resources, should be designed to suit their approach to learning – self-directed and practical learning (Hanselmann, 1951).

Educators also shared the sentiments expressed above, stating that venues were a serious concern. Learners disliked attending the primary schools where their children were schooled. Also, when schools had events in the classrooms allocated to ABEP, adult learners were asked not to come on short notice; this inconvenienced them. An educator had this to say: Given the nature of our learners as adults, we need to have classrooms with fun, but it is not possible because we do not have a learning venue of our own. This attests to the importance of andragogy, which may effectively facilitate self-directed learning. Also, the training venues and resources should suit adult learners.

In another instance, one educator raised an issue about ABEP’s content, noting that it does not have sufficient focus on imparting practical skills needed by adults. In this educator’s view, ABEP lacks practical activity and has a lot of theory; there was a need for more practical components. To educators, the content had relevant topics capable of imparting adequate knowledge and enabling learners to read and write. It had basic skills such as business and life skills, but its design emphasised theory instead of practice. Keeping a theory-practice balance in a programme of this nature is crucial in training adult learners, considering the notion of functional literacy and Knowles’ theory of andragogy. Educators and learners unanimously felt that ABEP would be effective if it included more practical activities.

The findings revealed several challenges to ABEP and participants. People far from urban areas could not easily access the programme due to bad terrain and a lack of transport. These challenges contributed to the people missing formal schooling. It was also difficult for educators to reach some learners, and the regional office could not effectively monitor the programme. According to one educator, even the regional education office staff find it uneasy to visit the remote areas due to the poor condition of the roads. It was equally challenging to deploy qualified educators to rural areas. This situation compromised monitoring ABEP’s implementation. Meanwhile, United Nations Joint Initiatives (2012, p. 1) indicates the value of monitoring and evaluation thus:

At the programme level, the purpose of monitoring and evaluation is to track implementation and outputs systematically, and measure the effectiveness of programmes. It helps to determine exactly when a programme is on track and when changes may be needed. Monitoring and evaluation form the basis for modification of interventions and assessing the quality of activities being conducted.

The compromise that the challenges presented to ABEP and participants strengthened the need for this study. We persevered through these challenges to gather the participants’ views.

Conclusion

This article presented ABEP beneficiaries’ views regarding the triumphs, prospects, and challenges they experienced. It can be gleaned from the article that adult education is essential for Botswana to combat the negative effects of illiteracy. The state of adult and continuing education in Botswana is commendable. Its dynamic thrust to eradicate adult learners’ illiteracy is obvious, just as the nation’s penchant for socioeconomic development – it strives to achieve functional literacy in adult learners. This is in light of participants who admitted that ABEP contributed to their livelihoods by enabling them to read, write, and develop basic business skills. The adult and continuing education principle is further seen in the nation’s readiness to create enabling policies for practice and the provision of qualified educators for the programme, to suit teaching adult learners. Thus, ABEP promises to be workable, achievable, and sustainable if proper monitoring occurs and improvements are factored in.

It was, however, noted from the findings that certain conditions may stall ABEP’s prospects, for example, bad road infrastructure and limited educational resources made it difficult for educational officials to reach the training sites, which compromised its monitoring. Learners were also disheartened, and recruiting educators to work in such conditions was hard. A finding about the self-directedness of adult learners was very conspicuous in the light of the andragogy; it was alluded that learning must be learner-centred. The research adds knowledge about how far adult and continuing education can capacitate its beneficiaries. The study has fundamental implications for adult education providers, policymakers, researchers, etc., even beyond Botswana. The findings suggest essential recommendations: (1) Learning should be tailored such that it is strictly learner-centred and as such it hugely implicates the pedagogical style adopted by the educators, (2) learning should emphasise practice with an ultimate goal of functional literacy, (3) in line with recommendation 2, ABEP should prioritise resource provisioning for its smooth implementation, including suitable venues, (4) more research about adult education provisioning, especially for rural dwellers, should be considered, (5) constant evaluation of policy for adult learning should be done as informed by research, (6) the study’s scope could be expanded in terms of methods and sample.

Though we accounted for the study’s trustworthiness, the small sample might have affected the data collected. Total reliance on the officials to select the more experienced learner participants in the programme might have excluded other learners with critical information. In hindsight, observing training on-site might have illuminated our understanding of the problem more.