Adult learning – the key to a better life |12 September 2009

Various learning centres have opened up in Seychelles to cater for the learning needs of adults and young people in the country. The Adult Learning and Distance Education Centre (Aldec) is one such centre. Let us find out more, as an interested learner inquires about the concept of adult learning and Aldec as a learning centre.

What is Adult Learners’ Week?

Adult Learners’ Week is an annual event on the Ministry of Education’s calendar which is celebrated from September 1-8. Its aim is to promote all forms of adult and lifelong learning activities while highlighting the importance of literacy. It encourages community groups to host events and activities designed to promote the benefits of adult and lifelong learning in the home, at work and in the community.

Can you explain the concept of adult education and learning?

On the basic level, adult learning is the practice of teaching and educating adults. It is viewed as a process of being freed from the oppression of being illiterate, a means of gaining knowledge and skills, a way to satisfy learners’ needs.

Darkenwald and Merriam (1982) however, make the following valid comments on defining adult education: “Adult education is concerned not with preparing people for life, but rather with helping people to live more successfully.

“Thus, if there is to be an overarching function of the adult education enterprise, it is to assist adults to increase competence, or negotiate transitions, in their social roles (worker, parent, retiree etc), to help them gain greater fulfilment in their personal lives, and to help them solve personal and community problems”.

Adult education is very much about creating empowered citizens.

What role does Aldec play in promoting adult learning?

The Adult Learning and Distance Education Centre, originally called the School of Continuing Education, was set up in 1983 under the umbrella of the Seychelles Polytechnic in the Ministry of Education. Its main purpose was to provide a continuing education service to adults and out-of-school youths in Seychellois society.

The main objectives of the School of Continuing Education were to upgrade the academic and occupational skills of adults, provide retraining for new occupations as well as language skills needed for everyday communication and overseas training.

The literacy programme was offered to all citizens, and its objective was to help eradicate illiteracy.  From its inception to now, the literacy rate has increased from 61.1% in 1971 to 91.1% in 2002.  Under the ambit of the Technical and Further Education Division, the centre’s name was changed to Aldec in 1999 with the education reform to encompass its expanding roles and to continue to build on the basic principles of equity, education for empowerment and education for productivity which underscore the ministry’s education goal.

Aldec holds as a primary value that learning is a lifelong process and that all persons have a basic right to opportunities for continued growth in learning. It recognises the natural right of all individuals to education. In this light, the centre plans for learning programmes that empower adults and youths to function as effective members of society as well as develop the attitude of lifelong learners.

How does Aldec organise its courses?

Face-to-face courses are offered on a part-time evening and weekend basis from 4.30pm to 6pm on weekdays and on Saturdays from 9am to 12noon. Aldec also offers courses through the distance mode. A range of Cambridge courses are offered such as the IGCSE, O-level and A-level courses.  In addition, we offer locally designed courses. These include the modular courses such as sewing and computing and short courses such as:

• Computer skills package

• Stores and inventory management

• Telephone techniques

• Customer care

• Secretarial skills (level 1,2)

• Business communication in English (level 1,2,3)

• Flower arrangement (basic and advanced)

• Reading skills in business

• Keyboard skills development (beginners)

• Bookkeeping

• Parenting skills

• Human behaviour in organisation

• Report writing

• Secretarial typing skills

• Business communication in French (level 1)

These courses aim to help improve the knowledge and skills of the trainees for professional and personal practice. Aldec also offers courses in foreign languages such as Spanish, Italian, German, Chinese Mandarin, English, French and Creole.

Suppose I wish to study by distance, what can Aldec offer me?

In this area Aldec has two main functions. It acts as the link between international universities and students in Seychelles, thus helps and supports students wishing to undertake distance learning.  Distance education students registered with Aldec are now following distance education programmes in youth development, administrative management, bachelor of mathematics, master of science in IT and bachelor in computer science with universities such as the University of South Africa, and Leicester and Liverpool in the UK.

Aldec’s second function with regard to distance education is to develop local distance education courses. These may be through the online mode or print-based. Aldec now has locally developed distance learning courses in the business communication field and marketing strategies for small business, and new ones will appear on the market in 2010. 

Students may enrol for any course by visiting Aldec’s office or online by downloading application forms.

What kind of fees does Aldec charge its students?

Aldec offers very cost-effective quality courses. At Aldec, we believe in access to education by people from all walks of life, therefore our fees range from R250 to R4,050 depending on the course.

Aldec also offers literacy programmes – what is this about?

The literacy programme is designed to help adults and out-of-school youths attain a degree of literacy and numeracy that will allow them to function effectively in society. These courses are held free of charge for Seychellois citizens. The subjects taught are English, French, mathematics and Creole.

The courses are organised in three levels. Level 1 is the beginners’ class aimed at providing students with basic literacy and numeracy skills.

Levels 2 and 3 allow them to further develop skills and knowledge so they may function effectively in all aspects of life and have the chance to further their education. Classes are held twice a week in all districts on Mahe, Praslin, La Digue and in some workplaces.
 
Do you employ full-time tutors?

No, Aldec functions with a large group of part-time instructors. They are all highly qualified in their field and over 95% of them have teaching qualifications. This ensures the quality of our courses.

What kind of relationship does Aldec have with the public?

We aim to provide a customer service that satisfies our clients. The office is open to the public from 8am to 4.30pm weekdays, to attend to public queries as well as the needs of clients and instructors.  A Student Support Services Unit has been set up in the centre recently with the aim of providing counselling and support to our students.

We seek to offer courses that suit the needs of our clients so we remain open to suggestions and recommendations from the public. We also try to maintain a very good relationship with other working organisations. In this light, we offer tailor-made in-house courses at the request of organisations.

What do you see as the challenges that adult learners are faced with?

Learning is a very enjoyable, albeit challenging activity, and adult learners are often faced with other commitments that add to the learning challenge; some of these are work and family commitments.   We find that finance is a major constraint to adult learners, especially in current times. We hope that some financial institutions will in the future take up the initiative of offering small student loans for those on local training.

Time is also a constraint to the adult learner, which is why discipline, perseverance, support and effective planning are all necessary for success. We wish to take this opportunity to encourage adults to forge ahead and overcome those challenges because at the end of the road, if they have persevered, they are winners.

What are Aldec’s future plans?

We endeavour to set up structures to further support the development of adult education and lifelong learning and to continue developing cost-effective courses to meet the needs of our country and its citizens.

Faisons une découverte

Pour faire une découverte
sur le monde d’hier
d’aujourd’hui et de demain
Il faut savoir
Lire, écrire et compter.

C’est bien cet outil
Qui nous mènera vers l’avenir
Pour nous aider
À sortir de l’obscurité.

Jovana Valentine et Marie-Mai Lespoir
Bel Ombre, Level 2

****
Ledikasyon i meyer remed pour fer en diferans

Mon la
Mon ale
Mon vini
Mon debout
Mon espere
Letan i pase
Non, mon retourn deryer.

Akoz en mo
Sa en mo ki mon’n oubliye
I bon fer ladiferans
Plito mon retournen
E la mon ava esey ankor
E aprann enn par enn
Se koumsa ki mon pou avans devan.

Marie-Jacqueline Rose
Bel Ombre,  Level 2

****
Literacy is the best remedy

I count 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5
I say A, B, C, D, E, F and G
I greet “good morning”
I even greet “good afternoon”
I can say “thank you”
I can say “excuse me”
When the times arise

I can understand you today
Thanks to literacy
Literacy is life
Literacy is my life
It can be yours too

It is never too late to take this first step.

Mr Rene Songoire
Centre: English River, Level 1

****
How it feels to be a prisoner

I used to wonder what it feels like to be a prisoner;
what it feels like to surrender my life to a prison;
what it would be like to imprison my dreams behind those bars;
But that was when I was still a free man; before I even took a wrong turn in life.

Being a prisoner today, I realise that I was so wrong in my thinking.
Nothing of what I thought is close to the gap
I am feeling in my life today when I am indeed a prisoner.

I am haunted with regret,
for not having valued freedom when I had it;
not having lived it when it was at my feet.
Not having defined my dreams and make a positive difference when opportunities were raining down from heaven.

I have missed a lot while here in prison.
A free person can never imagine what it really feels like to be a prisoner;
waking up every morning and not getting to see my loved ones.

But I know that this is my fate as a prisoner;
all I have to do is wait and pray that soon I will be free
to return to society to be at home with my loved ones.

Jude Pointe
Montagne Posée Prison Centre, Level 3

Some poems written by Aldec’s literacy students