Abstract:
The purpose of this study was to examine the implementation of functional adult literacy
program (FALP) in the special Zone of Oromia around Finfine. To this end, questionnaire,
interview and document analysis were used to collect the relevant data for the study. The study
participants were 133 randomly selected adult learners (50 women & 83 men), 34 adult
functional literacy facilitators (10 women & 28 men) selected using availability sampling, and
12 purposively selected education experts (3 women & 9 men). Both quantitative and qualitative
data analyses techniques were applied. The quantitative and qualitative results disclosed that the
implementation of FALP was found inadequate. The major factors associated with this
inadequacy were low attention given for the implementation of functional adult literacy
program, lack of interest to participate, unwillingness to attend lesson regularly, inconvenience
of time allocated, distance of the FAL centers from home of the learners, inconvenience of the
place of educational provision to attend the lesson, and shortage of teaching and learning
materials. To improve the implementation of FALP, it is important to raise the interest of adult
participant and encourage them to attend classes. Also important is to equip literacy centers
with the necessary educational materials and facilities. In general, to be successful in the
implementation of functional adult literacy program it is important to involve those stakeholders
at the Woredas and Zone levels.
