First RCE Thematic Conference: Towards Achieving the SDGs 5-7 December 2017 Okayama, Japan

1. Mass Education Strategies for Climate
Change Mitigation and Adaptation: Lessons
from Nigeria
By
Abba Abubakar Haladu
(RCE Kano)
National Commission for Mass Literacy, Adult and
Non-Formal Education, Abuja, Nigeria
+234(0)7067970973, abbahaladu@yahoo.com
Presented at
The First RCE Thematic Conference, Okayama,
Japan
5th December, 2017

2. Introduction
• The multiple threats of environmental degradation and
climate change already wreaking havoc in people’s
daily lives in Nigeria and across the world.
• The growing realization that climate change mitigation
and adaptation in all countries is only truly possible
through comprehensive cross-sector efforts that begin
with education.
• The need to explore mass education (non-formal
education, including adult literacy) as an
alternative/complimentary delivery system for climate
change and environmental education.

3. Nigeria: Context
• Nigeria is situated on the west coast of Africa, bordered by
the Atlantic Ocean and four countries; Cameroun to the East,
Benin Republic to the West, Chad to the North East and Niger
to the North.
• Nigeria is Africa’s most populous country with an estimated
population of 171 million people, comprising of a largely
youthful population base (United Nations, 2013).
• It covers a landmass of 923,768 square kilometers and is
bountiful in human, mineral and agricultural endowments.
• Nigeria is still however, grappling with many development
challenges.
• environmental sustainability is critical to the development of
the Nigerian economy and the social well-being of its citizens.

4. Nigeria: Context

5. Nigeria: Context

6. Environmental Challenges
• Environmental challenges: land degradation,
desertification, deforestation, flooding, draught,
gully and coastal erosion and loss of biodiversity.
• unsustainable urbanization, environmental health
and safety hazards, urban waste, pollution, and
poor state of water and sanitation services, climate
change and ozone depletion.
• weak technical and institutional capacities to
manage and mitigate the unpleasant effects of
climate change.

7. Waste Pollution

8. Smoke Pollution

9. Factors Hindering Environmental Sustainability in
Nigeria
• The High Level of Youth and Adult Illiteracy (about 60 million
illiterate youth and adults; 13.5 million out-of-school children)
• High Rate of Poverty (Majority live in poverty)
• High Population Growth (an annual growth rate of about 3.00
percent)

10. Meaning of Mass Education
• Definition of mass education: The means of educating people on a
vast scale, especially any organized, systematic learning activity
carried on outside the framework of the formal school system. It
addresses the learning needs of particular sub-groups in the
population who may be either children or adults. Often it uses
participatory, learner-centred approaches and content relevant to
the learners. It is thus flexible in terms of location, time, materials,
methods, learners and providers.
• Examples of mass education include preparation for:
apprenticeship, vocational skills training, work and careers; self and
wage employments, and entrepreneurship. It also includes adult
literacy, remedial classes, extension programmes, and instructions
in life skills such as family health education, environmental
education, small business management, book-keeping, computer
literacy, etc.

11. Youth and Adult Literacy and
Sustainable Development
• Literacy empowers individuals, broadens their
critical thinking capacities and provides them
with the ability to act.
• The adult literacy is crucial for environmental
sustainability and the reduction of poverty.
• The benefits of literacy: empowers its recipients
to confront the challenges of poverty, health
issues, civic engagement/participation, family
life, human right issues, security, environmental
challenges, etc.

12. Mass Education Programmes
Mass Education programmes being implemented: adult
basic literacy, post literacy, functional literacy, literacy
by radio, girl-child education, out-of-school youth
education, Qur’anic Integrated Education, women
vocational education, workers education and a host of
other programmes designed to eradicate illiteracy and
empower the citizens for increased productivity and
national development.

13. Target Groups for Mass Education
The target learners for mass education programmes: An
array of clients comprising of the following: Women in
purdah; Rural women; Peasant farmers; Fishermen/women;
Market women and men; Out of school children and
youths; Girl-Child and out of school boys; Street Children
with no fixed addresses; Traditional Quranic School Children
(the Almajirai); Adult Nomads/Migrant Folks; The Physically
Challenged Children/Youth and adults; Illiterate drivers;
Motor Cycle Drivers (Achaba/Okada); Illiterate
Workers/Semi Skilled Workers (road side mechanics,
artisans etc); Illiterate/Semi Skilled Junior Workers in Public
and Private Sectors; Prison Inmates requiring Rehabilitative
Education; etc.

14. Recent Developments at Revitalizing Mass Education: The stake
for Environmental Education
• Policy Guidelines for Mass Literacy, Adult and Non-formal
Education developed.
• Capacity building for NFE personnel across the country
through the Master training programme and the state level
training of literacy facilitators. So far 457 master trainers and
4807 NFE facilitators were trained nationwide to improve
efficiency in the delivery of NFE programmes.
• UNESCO/NMEC have thus far reviewed or developed and
produced manuals and handbooks for the training of frontline
non-formal education Personnel. Of particular interest, is the
deliberate attempt to include contents of environmental
education into the training materials.

15. Some Developed Training Materials
• Training Manual for Facilitators in Non-formal Education
(2013).
• Training Handbook for Non-Formal Education Personnel
in Nigeria (2014).
• Training Manual on Girls’ Empowerment for UBE
Teachers and NFE Facilitators (2014).
• Monitoring and Evaluation Handbook (Revised 2016)
• Translation of ‘Bouba and Zaza Protect the Planet’ (and
other series) into Hausa and Fulfulde Languages (2013).
These are series on sustainable development issues for
children originally developed by UNESCO and Michel
Lafon Education.

16. Contents of the Training Materials
• Some of the issues covered in the training manuals reflect
diverse aspects of Education for Sustainable Development,
including environmental issues, poverty, community
development, popular participation, health care, vocational,
professional and entrepreneurial skills, financial literacy, ICT
education, water and sanitation, flood control, emergency
response, gender and rights, civic education, security
education, cooperative and consumer education, food and
nutrition, guidance and counseling, and special education
services.
• Some of the figures used in the manuals have direct bearing
to addressing environmental issues. For instance, ‘a graphics
showing girls keeping their surroundings clean in response to
guidance and counselling’ or ‘the picture of people working to
repair a flooded area’, etc.

18. TRAINING MANUAL ON GIRLS’ EMPOWERMENT FOR UBE
TEACHERS AND NFE FACILITATORS

19. Girls keeping their surroundings clean in response to guidance and
counselling about the environment

20. Young and old working to repair the flooded area

23. Challenges
Some of the challenges bedeviling the NFE sector include:
 Inadequate funding for mass literacy adult and non-
formal education;
 Insufficient infrastructural support;
 Unenviable working space;
 Limited number of qualified facilitators and supervisors;
 Poor professional support for NFE personnel;
 The dearth of teaching and learning materials, especially
those dealing with climate change mitigation and
adaptation issues; and
 Deep-rooted and pervasive gender disparities in access
and outcomes.

24. Recommendations
 The mass education sector in Nigeria deserves and needs every
support to develop a system for training and equipping the large
number of illiterate citizens with the skills of environmental
management and climate change mitigation and adaptation;
 The experiment of incorporating environmental education into training
materials for NFE needs to be supplemented through a sustainable
global support and professional ties with international partners and
organizations involved with the climate change issue;
 The whole mass education sector deserves support in the specific
areas of management, equitable access and quality delivery; and
 A revitalized and functional mass education sector would help in
strengthening individuals and communities towards efficient use of
natural resources as well as developing capacities of people to engage
in climate change negotiations and take action towards sustainability.

25. Conclusion
To entrench a culture of environmental sustainability, there is
need to disseminate and share information, knowledge,
resources and good practices. Mass education is an
immensely important tool for disseminating information and
knowledge on environmental sustainability. This requires the
participation of all stakeholders-not just government and
NGOs. There is every need to support this promising
endeavor. International institutions and NGOs dealing with
the environment and climate change issues are invited to
bring in their expertise and resources to support the Nigeria’s
NFE sector. On their part, governments at all levels need to
secure funding for the development of the NFE sector as well.
It is vital to ensure that every citizen have the opportunity to
acquire the knowledge and skills they need to live safe,
healthy and productive lives.

26. Thank you for Listening

27. References
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