AN ASSESSMENT OF LITERACY NEEDS OF RURAL WOMEN IN AKOKO SOUTHWEST AREA OF ONDO STATE, NIGERIA
Keywords:
assessment, literacy needs, rural women.Abstract
The study assessed the literacy needs of rural women in Akoko Southwest area of Ondo State, Nigeria. The descriptive survey research was adopted for the study. The purposive sampling technique was used to select six out of the nine towns in the local government. A total of 250 women respondents constituted the population. The self-designed research instrument used to gather the data was adjudged adequate and valid by specialists in Women Studies. The data collected was analysed with both descriptive and inferential statistics. The result of the study revealed that majority of the respondents are aged between 30 and 39 (40.4%); majority of them (48.4%) had SSCE as their highest educational qualification. Their occupation was majorly farming (52.5%) and a total of 70% of them were married. Also, it was revealed that agricultural literacy is needed to a very large extent by the respondents (X2=72.992, df=2, p < 0.05). It was equally revealed that the respondents needed information literacy to a very large extent (X2 = 72.728, df=2, p <0.05). On the basis of these findings, it was recommended among others that government should ensure that rural women have access to loans, fertilizers and other agricultural inputs that can increase their farm produce. Also, government should create awareness of information literacy and enhance information sources so that rural women can have access to information in every aspect of their endeavours.
References
Anita, D. & Usha, V.R. (2006). Women's Literacy and Information and Communication Technologies: lessons that experience has taught us. Asia: Commonwealth Educational Media Centre for Asia, (CEMCA).
Babasanya, B.; Odidi, O.; Olafemi, O.; Alabi, O.; Akanni, R.; Oladeji, O.; Sirajo, A.; and Tor, L. (2013). Women perception of rural development programmes of UNDP in Akoko North LGA, Ondo State, Nigeria. Global Journal of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences. Vol. 1. no 2 pp19-27
DFID. (2011). A new strategic vision for girls and women: stopping poverty before it starts. https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/7582/strategic-vision-girls-women.pdf. Accessed 26/02/2016.
Dighe, A & Reddi, U. (2006). Women Literacy and Information Communication Technologies: Lessons that Experience has Taught us. India: Commonwealth Education Media Centre for Asia (CEMCA) DFID. (2012). Empowerment: a journey not a destination
http://www.pathwayofempowerment.org/pathwaysSynthesisReport.pdf. Accessed 26/02/16
EFA Global Monitoring Report (2006). Literacy for Life. Paris: UNESCO Publishing Eldred, J, (2013). Literacy and Women Empowerment: Stories of Success and Inspiration. Germany: UNESCO Institute for Lifelong Learning.
FAO (1998). Women Feed the World–Tele Food Material, Rome.
Griffen, V. (ed) (1989). Women, development and empowerment: A pacific feminist Perspectives. Kuala Lumpur; Asia and Pacific Development Center. Development Thought and Development Strategies. Riverside: University of California.
Hall, M. (1992) Women and Empowerment. Strategies for Increasing Autonomy. Washington, D.C.: Publishing Corporation.
Hannum, E & Buchman, C. (2005). The Consequences of Global Education Expansion. Cambridge. Mass American Academy of Arts and Sciences.
Hashemi, S; Sidney, R., & Rilley, P. (1995): ‘Rural Credit Programmes and Women’s Empowerment in Bangladesh’ World Development, vol.24 No.4, Pergamon, Great Britain.
Huyer, Sophia & Swati Mitter (2005), ICTs, Globalization and Poverty Reduction: Gender Dimensions of the Knowledge Society (Mimeo) http://gab.wigsat.org/partI.pdf
Kabeer, N. (2009). Women’s Economic Empowerment: Key Issues and Policy Options.
Accessed on 03/01/2016 from http://www.sida.se/publications.
Lazo, L. (1995). Some Reflections on the Empowerment of Women. In Carolyn Medel-Anonuevo (ed.) Women, Education and Empowerment: Pathways towards Autonomy. Hamburg: UNESCO Institute of Education.
Maslow, A. H. (1943). A theory of Human Motivation. Psychological Review, 50, 370–396.
Mc Caslin, N.L. & Tibezinda, J.P. (1997). Assessing Target Group Needs. In: B.E
Swanson, R.P Bentz and A.J. Sofrank (eds.). Improving agricultural extension: A reference manual.
National Population Commission Census Report (2009). Abuja: Ministry of Internal Affairs.
Obiora, C.J. (2012). Need Assessment: Overview from Women Farmers in Anambra State, Nigeria. Greener Journal of Agricultural Sciences. Vol 3 (8). pp 618-622.
Oladapo, S. I. (2014). Achieving Sustainable Poverty Reduction and Rural Development in Nigeria through Local Economic Development Strategies. American Journal of Rural Development 2(1):13-19.
Sanchez Moretti, G. A. & Frandell, T. 2013. Literacy from a right to education perspective: contribution prepared for the final evaluation of the implementation of the International Plan of Action for the United Nations Literacy Decade (UNLD).
Paris, UNESCO. http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0022/002214/221427e.pdf
Schultz, K. & Hull, G. (2002) ‘Locating literacy theory in out-of-school contexts’, in G. Hull and K. Schultz (eds) School’s Out: Bridging Out-of-school Literacies with Classroom Practice. New York: Teachers College Press.
Stromquist, N. (1995). The Theoretical and Practical Bases for Empowerment. In Carolyn Medel-Anonuevo (ed.) Women, Education and Empowerment: Pathways towards Autonomy. UNESCO Institute of Education Hamburg.
Stromquist, N. (2005). The Political Benefits of Adult Literacy: Background paper prepared for Education For All (EFA) Global Monitoring Report 2006. Literacy for Life. Norwich: University of East Anglia.
United Nations (2013). Women as peacemakers: from victims to re-builders of society.
http://www.un.org/events/tenstories/06/story.asp?storyID=70/.Accessed 26/03/
UNICEF (2013). Millennium development goals.
Gender equality. http//www.unicef.org/mdg/gender.html.Accessed on 26/03/2016.
UNESCO (1978). Literacy in Asia: A Continuing Challenge. Report of the UNESCO Regional Experts Meeting on Literacy in Asia (Bangkok 22-28 Nov. 1977).
Bangkok, UNESCO Regional Office for Education in Asia and Oceania. UNESCO (2008). The Global Literacy Challenge. A profile of youth and adult at the midpoint of UNLD 2003-2012. Paris UNESCO (2012). EFA Global Monitoring Report 2012: youth and skills; putting education to work. Paris. UNESCO
United Nations (2012). Rural Women ‘powerful catalyst for sustainable development’, Agents against poverty, Hunger, women’s commission. http://www.un.org/press/en/2012/wom1897 doc.htm. UNDP Human Development Report. 2003
UNFPA (2013). Empowering women: promoting gender equality: UNFPA.
http://www.unfpa.org/gender/empowerment3.htm/. Accessed on 13/04/2016.
UNICEF. 2013. Millennium development goals: gender equality.
http://www.unicef.org/mdg/gender.html/. Accessed on 14/04/2016.
Warriner, D.S. (2013). ‘Literacy’ In James Simpsom (ed). The Routledge Handbook of Applies Linguistics. New York: Routledge. Pp. 529-540
Yusuf, M.A. (2013). Impact of Adult Literacy Programme on Political Empowerment of Women in Kwara State. International Journal of African and Asian Studies. Vol. 2
