POLICY PATHWAYS FOR INTEGRATING ADULT AND NON-FORMAL EDUCATION INTO NIGERIAN SCHOOL CURRICULA

Abstract

Nigeria's education system operates through divided governance structures that perpetuate
exclusion for approximately 18.5 million out-of-school children and countless adults. This
article examined the policy frameworks necessary to integrate adult and non-formal
education into mainstream schooling, analysing institutional barriers, comparative models
from sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia, and viable reform pathways. Drawing on
documentary analysis and policy review, the study identified three critical constraints:
institutional fragmentation between the Universal Basic Education Commission and National
Commission for Mass Literacy, Adult and Non-Formal Education; curriculum misalignment
preventing learner mobility; and professional capacity deficits amongst educators. The
analysis revealed that technical solutions remain inadequate without addressing the political
economy of fragmentation that serves entrenched bureaucratic interests. The article proposed
a phased reform strategy: immediate coordination mechanisms, medium-term curriculum
equivalence, and long-term governance consolidation. These findings contribute to scholarly
debates on lifelong learning systems in low-income contexts, demonstrating that integration
requires simultaneous intervention across governance, pedagogy, and professional
development domains