Educating citizens for active democracy : comparative perspectives from India and Nigeria

Olatunji, Taiwo (author), Kumar Chahar, Vivek (author), Rilwan Amusa, Dare (author), Adeonipekun, Adeyanju (author), Saad, Ali Abdulrahman (author)

This study compared adult learning and education (ALE) programmes for promoting active democratic citizenship (ADC) in India and Nigeria by focusing on the aims of ALE, national education policies, and the main challenges confronting adult citizenship education. We adopted a theoretical framework which is an integration of multiple orientations of citizenship, including the liberal-democratic, communitarian, and republican traditions. The methodology comprised a document analysis of selected policies and reports. The findings highlight both the achievements and challenges faced by each country in fostering civic engagement. In India, ADC elements were embedded within broader socioeconomic development programmes, whereas in Nigeria, formal and non-formal education systems were pivotal in promoting ADC. However, both nations grappled with systemic barriers such as limited accessibility, policy instability, and sociocultural barriers. The study offers insights into the role of ALE programmes and government policies in fostering ADC in developing economies and multicultural nations.

• Language: English
• Keywords: adult learning, adult education, active democratic citizenship, citizenship education, comparative education
• Work type: Article
• Typology: 1.01 - Original Scientific Article
• Organization: FF - Faculty of Arts
• Publication status: Published
• Publication version: Version of Record
• Publication date: 01.01.2025
• Year: 2025
• Number of pages: Str. 87-104
• Numbering: Letn. 31, [št.] 1
• PID: 20.500.12556/RUL-178389
• UDC: 374.7
• ISSN on article: 1318-5160
• COBISS.SI-ID: 236375811
• Publication date in RUL: 26.01.2026

Record is a part of a journal

• Title: Andragoška spoznanja
• Shortened title: AS. Andrag. spozn.
• Publisher: Založba Univerze v Ljubljani
• ISSN: 1318-5160
• COBISS.SI-ID: 45586176

Licences

• License: CC BY 4.0, Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International
• Link: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
• Description: This is the standard Creative Commons license that gives others maximum freedom to do what they want with the work as long as they credit the author.

Secondary language

• Language: Slovenian
• Keywords: učenje odraslih, izobraževanje odraslih, primerjalna andragogika, aktivno demokratično državljanstvo, državljanska vzgoja