Institutional Factors Affecting Adult Education Policy Implementation in Delta State

This study examines the institutional factors affecting the implementation of adult education policy in Delta State, South South Nigeria. Nigeria's National Policy on Education commits to universal adult literacy and non-formal education provision, but policy translation into effective programme delivery at the state level is shaped by institutional factors including funding mechanisms, bureaucratic structures, political will, and coordination arrangements. Delta State, as an oil-rich Niger Delta state with significant human development gaps, provides an important institutional context for examining these dynamics. This study uses a qualitative research design, conducting in-depth interviews with 35 senior adult education administrators, policy officers, and ministry officials in Asaba, Warri, and Agbor. Document analysis of Delta State adult education policy documents, budget allocations, and UBEC subgrant utilisation reports from 2019 to 2023 supplements the primary data. Thematic analysis is applied. Findings reveal that bureaucratic fragmentation between the Ministry of Basic Education and the Delta State Agency for Adult and Non-Formal Education, inadequate budget execution, and absence of a monitoring and evaluation system are the primary institutional barriers to effective policy implementation. Political patronage in facilitator recruitment undermines programme quality. The study concludes that institutional reform, particularly in budget management and inter-agency coordination, is the most critical prerequisite for improved adult education policy outcomes in Delta State. It recommends an integrated adult education governance structure with independent M and E reporting to the state governor's office.

Keywords: adult education policy, institutional factors, Delta State, policy implementation, non-formal education.