Literacy, poverty and Adult Learning

Change will come to a society that is well informed. A society with a fully functional adult literate population is key to positive change. The impact of adult literacy, globalization and civic education speaks to my heart. Globalization is gradually making countries come closer more than ever. Information is easily disseminated with just a click of a button. Knowledge abounds and nothing stands in the way of gaining information. One of the benefits of globalization for my country was the advent of multi-party democracy in Ghana in 1992. The citizenry can now change governments through the ballot box and no more through the barrel of a gun. The convergence of trade, exchange of goods and services, easy flow of information and the migration of good governance practices across the globe contributed to democracy coming to Ghana after many years of military dictatorship. The influence of globalization on Ghana was the benefit we gained in the form of democracy.

Adult literacy in my home country is one area that more attention should be given to. The significance of this study for me is the low level of adult literacy and lack of proper civic education largely within the rural populace in my home country. This is an area I will want to delve into in my future studies. I am drawn to this because of my new knowledge about the power of education to bring about change in societies. Drawing on my prior experience as an undergraduate political science student and a graduate student in adult learning, I want to understand how education intertwines with the civic and political responsibilities of the enfranchised adult population in Ghana. The emphasis will be largely drawn on the rural adult populace.  I come from a country where a large proportion of the population cannot read and write in both English and in any local language. The largely illiterate population makes up a great proportion of the electorate. It is interesting to note some of the reasons people will vote for a particular candidate. Some of the reasons why people vote for candidates can range from reasons like, “I voted for him because he is handsome or good-looking”, “I voted for him because he gave me a bag of rice and oil”, to “I voted for her because she comes from my home-town or we are from the same ethnic background”.  If the population is properly educated and know their rights and responsibilities, people will be empowered to make the right decision. I am passionate about the nexus between adult literacy and civic education in my country. I have been emboldened by the works of Paolo Freire’s radical/critical philosophy of education that places emphasis on the power of education to create social change. This was an something that I had never thought of before I embarked on my adult learning program. Education has the power to transform. I foresee a future where the adult populace will be enlightened particularly in the area of citizenship education. When people are aware of their rights and responsibilities, they can make the right choices that will benefit them and society. The trickle effect of knowledge has the massive potential to permeate all facets of society. Illiteracy is quite pervasive amongst the rural adult folk in my country of origin. I want to see a total paradigm shift, where the rural electorate will vote on issues that are of concern to them and have a voice in their affairs of their country. Having a voice will translate into having an input on your own welfare as an individual. This will happen when people are educated and well informed. A well-balanced citizenship education will liberate the people and give them a proper sense of belonging.

Prior to doing this adult learning program, I never really saw myself as someone who will be interested in advocacy. I have been emboldened and ready to step out of my comfort zone to be the vanguard of the kind of change I want to see in my society. I am yet to take any palpable or formal action towards this agenda I have started nurturing. I aspire to carry this agenda of adult literacy and civic education advocacy when I back home someday. I continue to read on the works of Freire and I am galvanized by his thoughts. My focus will be geared mostly towards the population on the fringes of society. I am in a continuous process of learning and building my arsenal of knowledge. My learning journey has just begun. Adult learning as an academic endeavor has opened my eyes to a whole different world, especially in the belief in humanity. I see the world through a completely different lens. My understanding of education for social change and awareness has taken a complete paradigm shift. I look forward to advocacy, workshops and communities of practice within the adult electorate population. Ghana currently has a National Council for Civic Education (NCCE). It is a governmental agency tasked with educating the masses on the civic education across the country. I believe there is more room for improvement in this area and more can be done to empower the citizenry through education. The form of learning and engagement will be in the form of literacy campaigns through workshops, volunteering, training and adult literacy programs. Partnering the NCCE or working as a consultant to share best practice from my training in Canada can go a long way to contribute my quota to my country of birth.  My end goal will be to see a citizenry that is fully empowered, politically aware to make informed choices and fully engaged in civic participation.