ADULT LITERACY AND COOPERATIVE TRAINING PROGRAMS IN THE NIAMEY DEPARTMENT DEVELOPMENT PROJECT : EVALUATION OF PHASE I ACTIVITIES AND RECOMMENDATIONS FOR PHASE II

This contracted special evaluation is based on document review, interviews with project staff, and site visits; time frame is not specified. Despite a large promotional campaign, the dry season village literacy training program for men was poorly attended, forcing seven training centers to close. Only 1-6% of those attending achieved literacy, while a vast majority showed little or no progress. Teaching materials were in short supply. Instructors were poorly motivated and often absent due to holding other jobs. Program evaluation was done infrequently, if at all. In the Centre de Perfectionment Technique (CPT) adult literacy training program at Fandou, Boula, and Simira, literary activities were not documented, making evaluation difficult. Boula is in its first training cycle, and no testing has yet been performed. The other two centers did not keep or lost test copies. Even though male and female trainees and their instructors lived at the training centers, attendance was only 60-70%, with women absent most. A major reason for absenteeism was fatigue, especially when classes were held in the early afternoon. In the cooperative training component, the Union Nigerienne de Credit et de Cooperation (UNCC) trained some 1,600 persons through formal training courses and through cooperative information presented in literacy programs. Results were poorly documented and UNCC lacked sufficient field agents to work with newly-formed cooperatives. Courses were too brief to be comprehensive. In Phase II of this project, it is recommended that: literacy training be provided only through CPT's; Continuing Education Centers (CEC's) be formed at cooperative seat villages to organize teaching and reading materials; CPT-trained village women be included in CEC programs; CPT curriculum be flexible and deal with local issues; evaluation of CPT training be performed regularly with better documentation of attendance and test results; and CPT/CEC instructors' cooperative training capabilities be upgraded.