A Professor of Adult Education at the Faculty of Education, University of Lagos, Tewogbade Veronica Bakare has urged the Federal Government to ensure that the nation’s ivory towers heed the call by the National Universities Commission (NUC) to have lecturers get a certification in teaching with courses that are rich in Adult Education.
She made the call on Wednesday, July 3, 2024, while delivering the 19th Inaugural Lecture of the University of Lagos in the 2023/2024 Academic Session, titled: The Adult, The Enigma, The Method and the Andragogy of it All at the J. F. Ade Ajayi Auditorium.
Professor Bakare’s presentation provided valuable insights into the complexities of adulthood and the importance of Andragogy in adult education. According to her, “Adulthood is that grey area in human life when total physical and intellectual growth is supposed to have been reached.”
Professor Bakare’s delivery stressed Andragogy as a more respectful approach to working with adults, emphasizing that it does not present the facilitator as the “know-all’ or the adult as not having any contribution to make to teaching and learning.
While pointing out the challenges of teaching adult learners, she averred that the core principles of Andragogy include: the need for adult students to know the relevance of what they are learning, as well as the need to the help them to be more interested in problem-solving and practical applications than theory.
Professor Bakare also elaborated on teaching modes and called for a paradigm shift from over-reliance on face-to-face encounters to the virtual spaces provided by Information Communication Technology (ICT), an opportunity that was initially met with stiff resistance.
With respect to ICT in Adult Education, the 19th Inaugural Lecturer emphasised the need for caution in order to avoid overwhelming adult learners with new technologies.
Professor Bakare highlighted the challenges of technophobia, infrastructure, affordability, and training, and advocated for the incorporation of e-learning and the creation of university-run Cyber Café Hubs.
Some of her other recommendations include the need for government support, provision of special needs considerations, and more training and retraining for adult educators.
Presided over by the Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Folasade Ogunsola, OON, FAS, the lecture was well attended by staff, students, friends, and well-wishers of the Inaugural Lecturer, including Chairman of Elizade Motors, Chief Micheal Ade-Ojo.
