The Contribution of Adult Education to Social Cohesion in Post-Conflict Communities in Plateau State

This study examines the contribution of adult education programmes to social cohesion in post-conflict communities in Plateau State, North Central Nigeria. Plateau State has experienced recurring intercommunal conflicts along ethnic and religious lines, leaving deep social divisions in affected communities. Adult education programmes that bring together members of different ethnic and religious groups in shared learning environments have been proposed as mechanisms for rebuilding social trust and intergroup understanding. This study uses a mixed-method design, combining a survey of 180 adult education participants from mixed ethnic communities in Jos South, Barkin Ladi, and Mangu local government areas with qualitative focus group discussions. Social cohesion is assessed using intergroup trust, cooperative behaviour, and shared identity dimensions. Descriptive statistics and regression analysis are applied to quantitative data, while thematic analysis is used for qualitative data. Findings reveal that participation in mixed-group adult education settings is positively associated with improved intergroup trust and cooperative behaviour scores. Programmes that explicitly include dialogue and reconciliation components show stronger social cohesion effects. Facilitator ability to manage intergroup tensions in the learning environment is identified as a critical success factor. The study concludes that adult education is a promising but underutilised peacebuilding tool in post-conflict Plateau State communities. It recommends that peace education content and mixed-group learning design be made standard requirements for all adult education programmes in conflict-affected local government areas.

Keywords: adult education, social cohesion, post-conflict, Plateau State, peacebuilding.