Evaluation of Women’s Adult Education Programmes in Jigawa State

This study evaluates the design, implementation, and outcomes of women-targeted adult education programmes in Jigawa State, North West Nigeria. Jigawa State has among the lowest female adult literacy rates in Nigeria, and the state government has invested in women-specific adult education programming through the Jigawa State Agency for Mass Education. Despite these investments, comprehensive programme evaluations are rare. This study uses a mixed-method evaluation design combining document review of programme records for the period 2019 to 2023 with a survey of 200 female programme participants and 25 programme managers in Dutse, Hadejia, and Kafin-Hausa. Programme outcomes assessed include literacy acquisition, health behaviour change, income-generating activity participation, and self-efficacy improvement. Descriptive statistics, paired-samples t-tests, and thematic analysis are applied. Findings reveal that literacy acquisition outcomes are moderate, with 62 percent of participants achieving basic reading competency by programme end. Health behaviour change is the strongest outcome area, particularly in child immunisation and handwashing practices. Income-generating activity participation increased by 24 percentage points among completers. Facilitator motivation and irregular material supply are identified as the primary implementation quality gaps. The study concludes that Jigawa State women's adult education programmes produce meaningful but unevenly distributed outcomes. It recommends a results-based programme management framework with regular outcome monitoring and facilitator performance incentives tied to completion and skill acquisition targets.

Keywords: women's adult education, Jigawa State, programme evaluation, female literacy, empowerment.