Adult Education for Conflict-Affected Internally Displaced Persons in North East Nigeria

This study examines adult education programme design and outcomes for conflict-affected internally displaced persons in North East Nigeria, with a focus on IDP camps in Borno State. The Lake Chad Basin conflict has generated the largest internal displacement crisis in Nigeria, with over two million displaced persons residing in camps and host communities in Borno, Yobe, and Adamawa States. Adult IDPs face acute educational needs related to livelihood recovery, psychosocial support, and reintegration preparation, yet adult education programming for this population is sparse and poorly tailored. This study uses a mixed-method design, combining a survey of 180 adult IDPs enrolled in education programmes in Maiduguri and Bama with qualitative interviews with 20 programme managers from humanitarian organisations. Programme design quality, learning outcomes, and IDP-specific educational needs are assessed. Descriptive statistics and thematic analysis are applied. Findings reveal that existing adult education programmes in IDP settings focus almost exclusively on basic literacy, neglecting vocational skills, psychosocial literacy, legal rights awareness, and reintegration preparation content that IDPs themselves identify as priority needs. Programme attendance is high but completion is low due to camp mobility and programme discontinuity during security incidents. The study concludes that adult education for IDPs requires a fundamentally different design framework that addresses the whole-person needs of displacement. It recommends a humanitarian adult education standard for Nigeria specifying minimum content categories, psychosocial integration, and continuity provisions for programmes in displacement settings.

Keywords: internally displaced persons, adult education, North East Nigeria, humanitarian education, IDP camps.