The Role of Religious Institutions in Adult Literacy Promotion in Katsina State

This study examines the role of religious institutions, particularly mosques and Islamiyya schools, in promoting adult literacy in Katsina State, North West Nigeria. Religious institutions command significant community trust and attendance in northern Nigeria, making them potentially powerful platforms for adult education delivery. The integration of literacy instruction within religious education settings has been practiced informally in some communities, but its systematic contribution to adult literacy outcomes has not been empirically assessed in Katsina State. This study uses a mixed-method design, combining a survey of 180 adult learners attending mosque-based literacy programmes with qualitative interviews with 20 Islamic scholars and literacy facilitators in Katsina, Daura, and Funtua local government areas. Literacy acquisition outcomes, programme attendance, and learner motivation are assessed. Descriptive statistics and thematic analysis are applied. Findings reveal that mosque-based adult literacy programmes achieve significantly higher male learner attendance rates than government-operated centres, attributed to cultural trust and the perceived alignment of literacy with Quranic learning goals. Female participation in mosque-based programmes is higher in communities where female instructors are deployed. Quranic Arabic literacy gained in these settings transfers partially to Arabic script reading but shows limited transfer to Latin script functional literacy. The study concludes that religious institutions are underutilised partners in adult literacy promotion in Katsina State. It recommends a formal partnership model between the State Agency for Mass Education and the Katsina Islamic Education Board to integrate functional literacy instruction into mosque-based adult education.

Keywords: religious institutions, adult literacy, Katsina State, mosque education, non-formal education.