The Impact of Adult Education on Social Mobility in Urban Slums in Ibadan

This study examines the impact of adult education participation on social mobility indicators among residents of urban slum communities in Ibadan, Oyo State, South West Nigeria. Social mobility, measured through income improvement, occupational advancement, housing quality change, and children's educational investment, is an important long-term outcome of adult education that has received limited empirical attention in Nigerian urban settings. Ibadan's large slum population, characterised by overcrowding, unemployment, and low educational attainment, provides an important context for examining these dynamics. This study uses a retrospective survey design, collecting data from 200 adult education programme completers and 100 non-participants in Beere, Agodi-Gate, and Abebi communities in Ibadan. Social mobility indicators are assessed over a five-year reference period. Multiple regression and propensity score matching are applied to address selection bias. Findings reveal that adult education completers show significantly higher income improvement rates, occupational advancement, and children's school enrolment investment compared to non-participants over the five-year period. The strongest social mobility effects are observed among completers who acquired vocational or business skills alongside literacy. The study concludes that adult education produces meaningful social mobility benefits for slum residents in Ibadan over medium-term horizons. It recommends that the Oyo State Adult and Non-Formal Education Board prioritise urban slum communities for intensive adult education programming combining literacy with marketable skill training.

Keywords: social mobility, adult education, urban slums, Ibadan, lifelong learning.