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Introduction
Of all the problems facing humankind, poverty is among the most persistent and shameful. The poor suffer more from disease, and their hopeless condition leads some of them into lives of crime, drugs and armed conflict (Kutler & Lee, 2009; UNESCO, 2011:160). When describing the living conditions in the rural areas, one of the 40 poor women who participated in the non-formal adult education and training project organised by Reflect Network in Mandene, Northern KwaZulu-Natal (KZN), said: “We are above the dead and below the living” (Reflect Network, 2011). In KwaZulu-Natal many individuals and households can hardly afford three meals a day (Mosoetsa, 2011:25). This is due to absolute poverty caused by limited employable skills among adults on the one hand and on the other, the lack of employment opportunities in the province. As a result, poor people may resent their social exclusion and respond to the apparent injustice through developing coping strategies with negative effects for themselves, their communities and society as a whole.
There is a spatial distribution of poverty according to provinces in South Africa. Different studies on poverty in South Africa (KZN Department of Health, 2010; Provide project, 2009, May, 2010) suggest that three provinces, namely KwaZulu-Natal, Eastern Cape and Limpopo are the poorest among the nine provinces in the country. The households in these three provinces are living on less than R800 per month ranging between 63% and 82% (May, 2010:2). According to May (2010:59), since the inception of the post-apartheid elected government in 1994, poverty reduction has become an increasingly significant developmental concern in South African policies.
Poverty due to unemployment among non-educated and unskilled adults has increased more than was expected in the post-apartheid period (Anderson, 2012; May, 2010; Mosoetsa, 2011; Soobramoney, 2011). A lack of education and training among poor adults is a significant contributor to unemployment and poverty. To address the problem of unemployment due to lack of livelihood skills, the South African government implemented skills training programmes for adults to improve the livelihoods of poor people. Adult Education and Training (AET) is among those programmes. Non-formal adult education and training (NFET) has been formalised with its inclusion in the Adult Education and Training (AET) Act 25 of 2010 (Adult Education and Training Act 25 of 2010). In addition, the concept non-formal adult education and training (NFET) in South Africa was adopted in 1990 with the aim to respond to the learning needs of adults who did not have access to formal education; to increase their employment opportunities; to reduce the high rates of poverty in South Africa, and to enhance social inclusion (Aitchison, 2007:2-4). Providing NFET to special target groups in South Africa is meant to assist those adults who have no access to formal vocational training systems, like Further Education and Training (FET) colleges (DHET, 2012).
The provision of educational and training opportunities to adults is rooted in social empowerment and transformation strategies. Central to the provision is ensuring that all unemployed adult citizens of KZN are either wage-employed or self-employed (KZN, 2013:55-59; KZN-DoE, 2011:5, 6). The NFET programme in KZN targets out-of-school and socio-economically vulnerable adults (such as orphans, street youth and domestic workers) from marginalised rural and urban-slum communities. In order to empower vulnerable and marginalised adults, KZN government promotes vocational and livelihood training in different adult education and training centres (KZN-DoE, 2012:13; KZN, 2012:36)
CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION AND ORIENTATION TO THE STUDY
1.1 Introduction
1.2 Rationale and problem statement
1.3 Goal and objectives of the study
1.4 Significance of the study
1.5 Research methodology
1.6 Structure of the thesis
CHAPTER TWO: THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK
2.1 Introduction
2.2 Theoretical Perspectives on NFET for Employment
2.3 Conceptual Framework guiding the study
2.4 Summary
CHAPTER THREE: REVIEW OF RESEARCH ON NON-FORMAL ADULT EDUCATION AND TRAINING
3.1 Introduction
3.2 Background to Non-formal Adult Education and Training
3.3 Brief perspective on provision of Non-formal Education and Training in selected
countries
3.4 Review of research on Non-formal Adult Education and Training
3.5 Research on evaluation of Non-formal Adult Education and Training
3.6 Summary
CHAPTER FOUR: NON-FORMAL ADULT EDUCATION AND TRAINING FOR
POVERTY REDUCTION
4.1 Introduction
4.2 Conceptualising Non-Formal Education and Training
4.3 Non-formal Adult Education and Training in South Afric
4.4 Understanding the links between NFET and poverty reduction
4.5 The enabling/disabling environments for graduates entering the labour market
4.6 Summary
CHAPTER FIVE: RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
5.1 Introduction
5.2 Research approac
5.3 Type of research
5.4 Research design
5.5 Research methods
5.6 Data analysis
5.7 Reliability and trustworthiness of research data
5.8 Ethical considerations
5.9 Limitations of the study
5.10 Summary
CHAPTER SIX: EMPIRICAL FINDINGS ON NFET CENTRES’ INTERNAL ENABLING ENVIRONMENTS FOR EMPLOYMENT
CHAPTER SEVEN: EMPIRICAL FINDINGS ON THE NFET CENTRES’ EXTERNAL ENABLING ENVIRONMENTS FOR EMPLOYMENT
CHAPTER EIGHT: DISCUSSION OF KEY FINDINGS, CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS
