ABSTRACT
This study investigated the influence of adult education programmes on single mothers in Oredo Local Government Area of Edo State. To guide the study, four research questions were raised.
The study adopted the descriptive survey research design. The population of the study comprises of all single mothers residing in Oredo Local Government Area. However, a sample size of forty (40) respondents was selected for the study. A well-structured questionnaire was administered for data collection. The questionnaire was validated by the researcher's supervisor and two other experts in the Department of Adult and Non-Formal Education; while the test- re test reliability method was adopted to ascertain the reliability of the instrument. Data collected were analyzed using simple tables, frequency and percentage.
The study reveals that single motherhood influences the lives of single mothers in many ways. Some of the identified effects include: adult education programmes assists single mothers to learn how to read and write, motivates them to go back to school and continue from where they had stopped previously, be independent throughout life, and to build their confidence and self-worth. Adult education programmes also encourages single mothers to gain knowledge of their rights, reduces the rate of segregation and discrimination against single mothers, and eliminates poverty and other financial challenges for single mothers.
Based on the findings of the study, the following recommendations were made for the study: Effective adult education programmes should be established for single mothers by the Government and other capable Non-Governmental Organizations, Adult education facilitators should be properly trained and retrained from time to time so they can bring out the best in single mothers who engage in the adult education programmes, communities for single mothers should be created either physically or through social media platforms to promote networking among single mothers, discrimination and stigmatization of single mothers should be completely disallowed in communities. Lastly, the government should ensure that Vocational Education/Skill Acquisition Programme as a form of adult education programme for single mothers in Oredo is highly effective.
