CONTEXTUAL ANALYSIS
There are two conceptual frameworks that govern adult education as of recent past. One is the human right perspective which looks at adult education as a means of transforming individuals, communities and societies. The other perspective is on adult education as a means for economic development. For simplicity the two frameworks can be fitted into lifelong setting and basic literacy setting respectively. The latter forms a dominant motive at individual and community levels in developing countries, Tanzania included.
Adult education cannot be overemphasized. It plays a critical role in preparing the human race towards better responces on cultural, economic, political and social challenges. It repackage education in useful packets of knowledge for practical solutions. This is done through retraining school leavers who have gone through largely irrelevant curricula in addition to imparting literacy skils for adults who qualitatively missed schooling opportunities. It can, be argued that adult education provides space, time and setting in which adults can learn to know, learn to do, learn to live together and learn to be.
It is from this understanding that KTA look at a combination of folk education philosophy as borrowed from our friends in Sweden and adult learning from earlier efforts on adult literacy campaign to be a tool kit for comprehensive social transformation with focus on human rights, democratic practises for sustainable socio-economic development. Why it, why now and why in Tanzania? It should be noted that limited sussess from Education For All (EFA) campaign and also from Millenium Development Goals (MDGs) as global driving forces in a tanzanian society has left adult education as the ultimate game changer if we are to transform livelihood in real terms. EFA campaign and MDGs targets in schooling are fixed mainly on school going citizens, through primary education, leaving adults out of the catchment area. Furthermore schooling under EFA and MDGs seem to focus itself on education inputs and enrolment, leaving the learning aspect of quality education unattended. As a result of this unbalanced focus on education, school leavers rejoines the community half backed and unfit for consumption by the society. More so, school curricula setting is elite driven, mug-and-jug shaped in a pedagogy of the oppressed phenomenon. This phenomenon robs fredom of thinking and mind set orrientation against the freedom of expression, democratic practices and human rights as global culture a base for the socio-political transformation. A combination of folk education and adult learning as packaged by KTA in this programme intends to rejuvinate this freedom of thought and open mindedness.
Another angle that highlights the relevancy of folk education and adult learning is built on the consitant changing individual, communal and societal needs as well as the technological developments on a global scale. This is another dynamic in favour of adult education in its wider sense, as the changing technology, ways of life and practices to cope with changing livelihood patterns. These livelihood patterns in both rural and urban setting in Tanzania calls for a constant knowledge updates if we are to cushion natural resource depletion, population increase vide economic downturn. This put pressure and a need to update knowledge and understanding for keeping pace in search for solutions, folk education and adult learning is best set to take lead in this line. From this angle, it should be understood that no matter how comprenhensive the curricula will be, it will never be able to address on time every matter, especially on the emmerging issues and cross cutting issues. Adult learning becomes handy in providing new knowledge and skills for these social challeges.
KTA is set to contributing in transforming the Tanzanian society through folk education and adult learning, into a more open, democratic and human right observing for sustainable development. The potentials to achieve this mission lie on the rich experience KTA has through 55 FDCs in a country under its umbrella network, Tanzanian experience in adult literacy campaign and folk education philosophical experience from our partners in Sweden through Karibu Sweden Association (KSA) a sister network in Sweden, in addition to like-minded organisation across the globe.
To achieve this broader goal, Karibu Tanzania Association (KTA) operationalize five project programmes as follows:
- Community Resources & Information Centers (CRICs).
- Adults and Continuing Education
- Vulnerability in Schooling
- Adult Education Policy analysis and Advocacy
- Research and Documentations on Folk Education and Adult Learning