ABSTRACT

The central focus of this study was to ascertain the community
education needs of community based organizations leaders in
Anambra State of Nigeria. To guide this study, five research
questions were posed and three null hypotheses were formulated
and tested at 0.05 level of significance. The study adopted a
descriptive survey design. The population for the study comprised
1,701 executive members of the 189 registered community based
organizations in the 21 local government areas that make up the
three senatorial zones of Anambra State. The sample consisted of
1071 executive members of community based organizations
selected through stratified random sampling. The internal
consistency reliability coefficient obtained for each of the clusters
I-V were 0.89, 0.88, 0.87, 0.86 and 0.92 respectively while the
overall reliability coefficient was 0.88. Questionnaire was the
instrument used for data collection. Mean was used to analyze the
research questions while t-test was used to test the null
hypotheses. Among the major findings of the study were that the
respondents agreed that they need basic, social, political,
economic, and cultural education to improve or further lead as
required, there was no significant difference in the mean ratings of
the literate and non-literate; respondents on the basic education
needs there was significant difference in the mean ratings of
married and single respondents on social education needs; and
there was no significant difference in the mean ratings of the
urban based and rural based respondents on political education
needs. It was recommended that the Agency for Mass Literacy,
Adult and Non-formal Education in Anambra State should mount
campaign in the rural communities on the need for community
education programmes, that community education centres should
be established in the rural areas and qualified adult educators
employed to facilitate the programmes, policy makers and other
administrators in mass literacy, adult and non-formal education
should reflect the needs of the community in policy formulation.

 

 

TABLE OF CONTENTS

TITLE PAGE i
CERTIFICATION ii
APPROVAL PAGE iii
DEDICATION iv
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS v
TABLE OF CONTENTS vi
LIST OF TABLES viii
LIST OF APPENDICES ix
ABSTRACT x
CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION 1
Background to the Study 1
Statement of the Problem 11
Purpose of the Study 12
Significance of the Study 13
Research Questions 14
Hypotheses 14
Scope of the Study 15
CHAPTER TWO: REVIEW OF LITERATURE 16
A. Conceptual Framework 16
· Community 16
· Community education 20
· Educational needs of community leaders 23
· Community leadership 32
· Community based organizations 35
B. Theoretical Framework 38
· Maslow’s theory of needs 38
· Functionalist theory 40
· Contingency theory of leadership 43
vii
· Human capital theory 45
· Cultural theory 47
C. Review of related empirical studies 49
D. Summary of Reviewed literature 53
CHAPTER THREE: RESEARCH METHOD 56
Design of the Study 56
Area of the Study 56
Population of the Study 57
Sample and Sampling Technique 57
Instrument for Data Collection 58
Validation of the Instrument 59
Reliability of the Instrument 59
Method of Data Collection 60
Method of Data Analysis 60
CHAPTER FOUR: RESULTS 62
Summary and Findings 70
CHAPTER FIVE: DISCUSSION, RECOMMENDATIONS,
AND CONCLUSION 72
Discussion of Findings 72
Implications of the study for adult education and
Community development 76
Conclusion 79
Recommendations 79
Suggestions for further studies 81
REFERENCES 82
APPENDICES 91
viii

 

 

CHAPTER ONE

NTRODUCTION
Background to the Study
Within the community framework, there is need for people to
be educated. It is vital because without it, people may not function
effectively. Community education is one form of education that will
bring about positive change among the people in the community.
Ezumah (2004) sees community education as a process aimed at
raising consciousness, spreading understanding, and providing
the necessary skills, including the human and material resources
for the social, economic, political and cultural development.
Findsen (2006) defined community education as an organized
learning activity that groups or individuals undertake for the
personal, community, cultural or economic development. It
touches all other areas of learning but its primary focus is the
adult as learner and the community as the context. Akande (2007)
sees community education as the type of education needed to
engender self-confidence, self-respect, and personal independence
as well as to safeguard human rights and achieve social equality.
Contextually, community education is the education that
promotes the integrated involvement of community members in the
effort to bring about desirable social change. It is education for
peoples empowerment to take control over their own lives. In other
words, it is an educational process whereby people, collectively
1
2
learn to help themselves and improve their lives. It is the need for
improving the quality of life in the community that brought about
the activities of community education.
According to Anyanwu (2002), community education is not a
new phenomenon of human living. For example, in Nigeria
traditional communities, people had been practising indigenous
community education before the advent of the early missionaries
and the colonial administration. The traditional apprenticeship
programmes were plausible forms of community education. Such
programmes were run in the areas of health, agriculture, arts and
crafts and constituted a recognized way of inducing enlightenment.
In the area of health, community education tends to emphasize
better sanitation and water supply, proper hygiene and housing,
and improved infant and maternal welfare. In the field of
agriculture, community education was in the area of sensitizing
people on the methods of farming to improve their productivity,
better care of livestocks. Anyanwu further stated that with the
introduction and general acceptance of the Western system of
education and culture, there was a gradual decline in enthusiasm
for erstwhile indigenous community education with corollary
problems of illiteracy, unemployment, underdevelopment, poverty,
armed robbery, kidnapping, and youth restiveness in Nigeria. This
indicates the inadequacy of formal school system of Western
Education alone to meet the socio-economic and cultural needs of
the Nigerian society.
3
Formal education having been unable to address most
community concerns alone, policy makers came up with the idea
of non-formal education. Non-formal education according to Ngwu
(2003:41) can be defined as:
any planned and consciously organized general
education and /or training activity outside the formal
school in a particular society for illiterates, school
leavers, dropouts or other adults, as individuals or in
groups, for the purpose of raising their consciousness
of their social situation and their standard of living,
improving their individual or collective efficiency in
their jobs or preparing them for self-employment, wage
employment or further training within the existing
education/training system.
Non-formal education is focusing on teaching people to improve
their basic level of subsistence, as well as there standards of
nutrition and general health, participate in determining the nature
and content of programmes of community education, and acquire
knowledge and skills which can immediately be put into practice to
solve community problems. In these ways, non-formal education
becomes an important tool for community education to provide
social change for better living in the community. Non-formal
education provides the viable educational alternatives that will
enable different categories of completers to further their education.
In 2004, the Mass Literacy, Adult and Non-formal Education
came up with strong emphasis on all forms of functional education
such as community education that was enshrined in the National
Policy on Education (Federal Republic of Nigeria, 2004). In the
document, it was clearly stated that efforts shall be made to relate
education to overall community needs. To realize this objective
locally and globally, the fifth World Conference on Community
4
Education was convened in 1987 in Nairobi, Kenya where the
proponents and practitioners of community education from 40
countries in all continents affirmed their commitment to the goal
of community education: to raise the consciousness and enhance
the initiative of people in solving their problems in the spirit of selfreliance
and self determination (Akande, 2007).
Ezumah (2004) stated that the non-formal nature of
community education operational strategies determines its
objectives. He went on to state that the primary objective of nonformal
community education is to return education to the people
in the community. Community Based Organization (CBO) leaders,
therefore, need this type of education (community education). This
is the type of education that will provide them with certain types of
knowledge, skills, understanding, courage, perceptivity, and
foresight in community leadership. The National Libraries of
Medicine (2007) defined community based organizations as public
or private non-profit organizations that are representatives of a
community or a significant segment of a community, and are
engaged in meeting human, educational, environmental, or public
safety community need. Thus, community based organizations
refer to all the organizations based in the community and set by
the community for the purposes of enhancing the well-being of the
community members. Each community based organization has its
own leaders and the essence of the leadership is to direct activities
and have enormous responsibility to direct what they are doing
within CBOs.
Abiona (2009) sees community leaders as volunteers and
agents of change that motivate and mobilize their people to
5
improve their communities. They are members of their community
who are familiar with the culture, social organization, structure,
and values of their community. In other words, community leaders
are the leaders of different community based organizations set-up
by the community who are often formed to improve the standard of
living in their community. Because community leaders occupy this
position, they need to be educated within the context of the
community. In realization of this, successive Nigerian governments
have intensified efforts in initiating national development
programmes to promote community education. Such programmes
include: Mass Mobilization, Social Justice, and Economic Recovery
(MAMSER), Family Support Programme (FSP), Environmental
Sanitation, population education, mass literacy campaign, political
education, among others. These programmes were initiated to
promote the life and meet learning needs of the people, community
leaders inclusive. This is in line with the views of Alam (2004) who
noted that one of the goals of Dakar Education for All (EFA)
framework of action was ensuring equitable access to education to
meet the learning needs of all.
Despite the efforts of the government in initiating community
education programmes in the country, the results of the interview
and observations made by the researcher show that community
based organizations leaders in Anambra state have little or no idea
of community education programmes to improve their lots. It is not
clear if these community education programmes have been
contributory in improving their expected roles. This is because,
they have not been able to fill their position properly and hence, do
not perform as desired in their area of jurisdictions. This is
6
evidenced from their poor leadership and accountability, disputes,
ignorance of political rights, poor attitude to environmental
sanitation, among others. For example, in Anambra State,
community leaders shy away from political activities because of
the activities of rigging, thuggery, and assassination that militate
against their political rights and duties. This agrees with the views
of Igbafe and Offiong (2007) that political assassination and other
vices have become evils that work the streets of Nigeria not only
unmolested, but aided and abated. This, they noted, is due to
ineffectiveness and inefficiency of national security outfits,
particularly the police that have failed to live up to its duties by
apprehending the culprits and their collaborators.
Again, environmental sanitation exercise observed every last
Saturday of the month now records very few community members’
participation due to lack of mobilization from the leaders. This is
in line with Ejikeme (2012) who opined that until recently when
Anambra State Waste Management Agency (ASWAMA), which
derived from the defunct Anambra State Environmental Protection
Agency (ANSEPA) was formed, the issue of waste management in
Anambra State was a big challenge. The peoples’ attitude to
environmental sanitation was very poor. Indiscriminate dumping
of refuse was rule rather than exception. The state capital, Awka,
was the most vulnerable in this undisciplined life style. Bins
overflowed with dirt as flood channels were willfully blocked by
privileged few in the society for purpose of reclaiming the land. For
example, Iyiagu flood channel was blocked and built upon
regardless of the danger it posed to life and properties.
7
In the same area, the leaders rather struggle for monthly
allowance from the state government for community development
activities including community education programmes and shy
away from their expected roles of helping the community members
to develop capacity to deal with their own problems through
collective actions, enhanced self-chosen changes and development
by community members. This includes developing people’s
capacity to learn the skills of democracy that will help move the
community to the most desirable levels of conditions. This agrees
with the views of Anyanwu (2002) who said that:
Community leaders are more interested in power
sharing and the creation of positions than in the
solution of community problems. Hence, with
the lack of intelligent and imaginative of local
leadership, the administration of a disorganized
community can be frustrated by low morale,
apathy, and outright neglect.
Morestill, some of the leaders divert community funds into their
pocket due to their self aggrandizement. This is in line with Abiona
(2009) who noted that the limited funds contributed by members
of the communities may be embezzled by community leaders and
other. This brings mistrust and kills the interest of the community
members who are willing to participate in community
development. The author further noted that the political class
makes the matter worse by displaying influence after embezzling
public funds.
The non-performance of these community leaders of their
expected roles could be attributed to some gaps that need to be
filled through community education programmes. The gap will be
considered as the educational needs of these community based
8
organizations leaders. Knowles (1970) described educational need
as something that a person has to learn for his own good, for the
good of an organization, or for the good of the society. It can be
regarded as the gap that exists between a person’s present level of
competencies and a higher level which is required for effective
performance as defined by the individuals, his organization or his
society. As a problem-centered activity, community education
becomes a tool that will build the capacity of community leaders to
satisfy the imbalance or lack of adjustment between the present
condition in the life of the community and a new set of condition
that will be more desirable.
In identifying those gaps, they could be basic education
needs, social education needs, political education needs, economic
education needs, and cultural education needs. These are
important because, they will equip the individuals, including the
community leaders with the desired knowledge and skills that will
make them function effectively in their communities. Conceptually,
basic education refers to all those programmes with fundamental
education, as well as those programmes with alternative
curricular, including areas such as basic health, nutrition, family
planning, literacy, agriculture, and other vocational skills (Lynette
& Babara, 2010). The community leaders need basic education
because it is very important for human living. Acquisition of basic
education will help community leaders have a focus on other areas
of needs in the community. It is only when they achieve their basic
education needs that other sets of needs come up in the hierarchy
of needs. In addition to basic education, another education need
that could be important to community leaders is social education.
9
Social education can be seen as education for sociality, education
through social life, education as learning in society, and education
for social relationships (Smith, 2002). Thus, it is the education
that equips community leaders with knowledge and skills of
establishing human relationship, love, peace and harmony,
communication, improved family life, among others. Knowledge of
social education will make community leaders gain access to full
emotional, social, and intellectual development in relations to self,
social institutions, and social issues.
Moreso, another education need that could be very important
to community leaders to function effectively in their communities
is political education. Political education is an activity aimed at
achieving the largest numbers of citizens, who understand political
process, independently and critically shape their own opinions and
are prepared for public activity (European Youth for Media
Network Association, 2012). Political education will help to raise
the civic consciousness and increasing participation of community
leaders in the community affairs and the mainstream political
process. Acquisition of political education will make them exercise
their franchise, know state ideology, strengthen their leadership
structure, and have sound criticisms on state issues. In the same
vein, such other need could be economic education. Economic
education is the education provided to assist a rational man in
organizing his different thoughts whenever he is faced with day-today
economic issues and problems (Ibukunolu, 2010). Thus,
economic education is the education that prepares one to become
productive member of the workforce, prudent saver, investor, and
wise decision maker on his available resources. There is, therefore,
10
the need for community based organizations leaders to acquire
economic education to enable them identify their available
resources in the community and make wise decision on the usage
and reservation for the rainy days. It will equally equip them with
knowledge and skills of dealing with their day-to-day economic
issues and problems as they arise in their own areas of authority.
Finally, one other education need that could be vital for the
performance of community based organization leaders in their
communities is cultural education. Cultural education refers to
education that enables the transmission of peoples’ cultural
heritage from one generation to another. It equips individuals with
a wide variety of high quality cultural experiences that make them
to function effectively in their communities. There is the need for
community leaders to have in their finger tips, the values, norms,
and traditions of their communities through cultural education.
This will enable them to transmit the knowledge to new generation
and for promotion of cultural development.
Community has been defined as a group of people living in a
geographical area and are bound with common interest. This
implies that in every community, the perception of the people is
very important since there are various categories of people in the
community, for example, married and single, educated and noneducated.
It is very vital that the opinions of these categories of
people should be collected to determine how related or diversed
these opinions are in this study. Also community development is
all about improving the well being of people in both rural and
urban communities. This therefore, implies that, the importance of
rural and urban aspects of the communities necessitates that the
11
opinions from both rural a urban leaders are necessary in this
study.
Based on the foregoing, that the community based
organization leaders do not function effectively as required, it is
the intention of the researcher to identify the needs of the
community based organizations leaders to enable them function
effectively in their communities.
Statement of the Problem
The non-performance of the community based organizations
leaders has led to slow pace at which different communities in
Anambra State are developing. The decline in their roles is more
pervasive in rural communities than their urban counterparts.
This can be evidenced by the high rate of illiteracy, poor
leadership, embezzlement of public funds, disputes, and ignorance
of community education programmes such as health, economic,
political and environmental programmes. The truth remains that
inspite of the numerous community education programmes that
have been introduced by the government, the rural dwellers,
including community leaders have not availed themselves of these
educational opportunities to improve their lots. Could it be that
the community education programmes did not receive adequate
publicity or could it be that there were some educational
deficiencies that deprived them of access to information about
community education programmes?
Moreover, the irony is that, it is not even certain that
community leaders know their basic education needs, social
education needs, political education needs, economic education
12
needs, and cultural education needs. In fact, it is not clear if at all
any community education programmes targeted at the rural
populace have been contributory in improving the roles of
community leaders in the area despite the rapid increase in their
expected roles.
Therefore, since the community based organizations leaders
do not perform their roles as expected in their areas of jurisdiction,
there is need to identify their community education needs to
enable them develop their leadership potentials and become more
effective in their areas of authority. It is, therefore, the problem of
this study to identify the community education needs of the
community based organizations leaders.
Purpose of the Study
The main purpose of this study was to ascertain the
community education needs of community based organizations
leaders in Anambra State. Specifically, the study sought to find
out:
1. The extent to which community based organizations leaders
need basic education.
2. The extent to which community based organizations leaders
need social education.
3. The extent to which community based organizations leaders
need political education.
4. The extent to which community based organizations leaders
need economic education.
5. The extent to which community based organizations leaders
need cultural education.
13
Significance of the Study
The findings of this study will be of great importance not only
to the community leaders who are the pillars in community,
particularly in this dynamic world of 21st century but also to adult
educators and community development officers, policy makers and
state government.
Firstly, the implementation of the findings will enable
community leaders to identify the needs and problems of the
community and means of satisfying them. It is only when they
know what their needs are that they know how to tackle them. The
findings will equally give the leaders clue on how to influence and
direct the people in order to achieve communal goals be it social,
political, economic, and otherwise.
Secondly, the findings of the study will serve as a guide for
adult educators and community development officers on what
programmes to be developed for community leaders. It will give
them insight on the desired roles of the leaders and how to develop
programme to reflect such roles that will bring about positive
changes in the community.
Thirdly, the findings of the study will as well serve as a guide
for policy makers in formulating policies that will guide the
selection of leaders in different communities. The findings will also
give the policy makers idea on how to reflect the expected roles of
community leaders in their policies. This is to streamline the
leadership pattern of the leaders in different communities.
14
Finally, the findings and recommendations of the study will
serve as a reference point through which the state and local
governments can address some developmental programme issues
of rural communities. That is, it will serve as a date bank that can
be used as guide by the government in dealing with developmental
issues.
Research Questions
The following research questions guided the study.
1. To what extent do community based organizations leaders
need basic education?
2. To what extent do community based organizations leaders
need social education?
3. To what extent do community based organizations leaders
need political education?
4. To what extent do community based organizations leaders
need economic education?
5. To what extent do community based organizations leaders
need cultural education?
Hypotheses
The following null hypotheses were formulated for the study
and tested at P < 0.05 level of significance.
H01: There is no significant difference between the mean scores of
the literate and non-literate community based organizations
leaders on the basic education needs.
15
H02: There is no significant difference between the mean scores of
the married and single community based organizations
leaders on the social education needs.
H03: There is no significant difference between the mean scores of
urban based and rural based community based organizations
leaders on the political education needs.
Scope of the Study
The scope of the study was limited to determine the
community education needs of community based organizations
leaders in Anambra State. These community education needs
include: basic education needs, social education needs, political
education needs, economic education needs, and cultural
education needs. The study was also limited to those community
based organizations set up by the community.
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