Integrating Environmental Education into Adult Literacy Programmes in Nigeria

This study examines how environmental education content can be effectively integrated into adult literacy programmes in Nigeria, drawing on experiences from programmes in Lagos, Kano, and Bayelsa States. Environmental degradation, climate change impacts, and poor waste management are pressing challenges in Nigerian communities, yet adult literacy programmes rarely address environmental knowledge and action. Integrating environmental education into literacy contexts offers a practical approach to building environmental awareness while simultaneously advancing reading, writing, and numeracy skills through relevant real-world content. This study uses a programme design and evaluation methodology, reviewing five existing literacy programmes that include environmental content and conducting quasi-experimental comparisons of literacy and environmental knowledge outcomes between integrated and non-integrated programmes. Data are collected from 300 adult learners and 30 facilitators across the three states. Findings reveal that literacy programmes integrating environmental content produce comparable literacy skill gains to standard programmes while generating significantly higher environmental knowledge and behaviour change scores. Learners report higher engagement and relevance perception when environmental content reflects local pollution and resource challenges. Facilitator training in environmental content delivery is identified as a critical success factor. The study concludes that environmental education integration enriches adult literacy programmes and produces dual knowledge benefits without compromising literacy outcomes. It recommends that UBEC develop national guidelines for environmental literacy integration in adult education programmes as part of its curriculum standards.

Keywords: environmental education, adult literacy, curriculum integration, Nigeria, sustainability.