AVAILABILITY AND UTILISATION OF INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIALS IN BENIN METROPOLIS

ABSTRACT

The study investigated the availability and utilization of instructional materials in adult literacy centres in Benin Metropolis. The researcher was interested in finding out the main reasons for the disturbing high rate of attrition in adult literacy programmes in the area instigated, from the point of view of the availability and utilization of instructional materials. In doing this, four research questions were raised to guide the study. A total sample of 120 respondents drawn through a simple random technique was used for the study. The descriptive survey method was adopted for the research design and thus the data for the study were collected with the use of a questionnaire. After experts’ validation of the instrument, it was pilot-tested for reliability. The reliability coefficient was determined through the Cronbach’s alpha procedure and it came up to 0.75 which was quite high for rational decision. The data collected was analysed using descriptive statistics specifically simple percentage and the mean score analysis. The major findings of the study include the fact that  the available instructional materials in the adult literacy centres across Benin Metropolis are not sufficient; the level of utilization of the available instructional materials across adult literacy centres in Benin Metropolis is not encouraging enough due to the lack of expertise skills among significant number of literacy facilitators; and that there is inadequate funding to make sufficient instructional materials available in the literacy centres in Benin Metropolis among others. The study concluded that there are no adequate instructional materials in the adult literacy centres in Benin Metropolis and that the few available ones are not fully utilised. This conclusion implies that a lot is needed to be done with respect to the provision and utilization of instructional materials in Benin Metropolis. The study proffered a number of recommendations which include the need for the government and other stakeholders in the adult education practice to provide adequate, qualified and experienced personnel as programme managers and literacy facilitators who will ensure that adequate instructional materials are provided or improvised for in areas where they are lacking; adequate budgetary allocation should be made for adult education as a distinct department and the allocation should be well utilized in the area of implementation of the programmes designed for the adults especially that of literacy  and that The government at all level should be sincere enough to implement the National Policy on Education especially the Mass Education policy framework among others.