Volunteer Management in Adult Literacy Programmes in Gombe State

This study examined volunteer management practices and their impact on adult literacy programme delivery in Gombe State, North East Nigeria. Volunteer facilitators constitute a significant proportion of the adult literacy programme workforce in Nigeria, and the effectiveness with which they are recruited, trained, supervised, and retained has direct implications for programme quality. The study employed a descriptive survey design involving 70 volunteer facilitators, programme coordinators, and agency supervisors drawn from four local government areas. Questionnaires, volunteer performance assessments, and interview guides formed the data collection framework. Findings revealed significant weaknesses in volunteer management practices across most sites, including informal and unstructured recruitment processes, absence of systematic orientation and training programmes, limited supervision and mentoring, inadequate recognition systems, and no structured pathway for volunteer progression into paid roles. High volunteer attrition was a persistent challenge, with most volunteers citing inadequate support and recognition rather than competing employment opportunities as the primary departure reason. Volunteers who received structured initial training and regular supervisory feedback demonstrated markedly stronger facilitation quality scores. Recommendations include developing a comprehensive volunteer management framework for Gombe State's adult literacy programme system, establishing standardised volunteer recruitment criteria, providing structured pre-deployment training followed by ongoing coaching, creating tiered volunteer recognition schemes, and designing a clear professional development pathway from volunteerism to paid adult education employment. Keywords: volunteer management, adult literacy, programme delivery, Gombe State, human resource management.