ADVOCACY FOR INFUSION OF GUIDANCE AND COUNSELLING SERVICES IN ADULT LITERACY PROGRAMMES IN NIGERIA

Abstract

There appears that literacy centres in Nigeria do not care about counselling needs of their clients. Adult learners come to learning centres with a Jot of needs which cannot only be solved through acquisition of skills of reading, writing and numeracy. Guidance and counselling services will serve better purpose in this direction. This paper seeks to advocate for inclusion of guidance and counselling services in adult literacy programmes in Nigeria. The position is that literacy centres can serve adults not only in acquisition of literacy skills of reading, writing and numeracy but also exploring the diverse experiences of literacy participants in solving individual personal problems brought to the centres. Literacy centres can serve as avenue where learners can collectively address the problems bogging their colleagues with the help of their facilitators. The paper recommends that for the possibility of infusion of G & C in literacy programmes, adult education training outfits must include G & C in their curriculum. Training and retraining opportunities should be made available to literacy facilitators in G & C service delivery. Literacy planners and organizers should create space for adult G & C needs in their programme and by extension in the time-table in such a way that will not jeopardize the primary motive of literacy programme