Thika Adult Education Officer, Veronica Wambui, has lamented over the high level of illiteracy in the area. Currently illiteracy level in Thika District stands at 35 percent.
Thika department of adult education has 46 teaching staff members, 26 are full time while 20 of them are part time.
Wambui noted that the department has been faced with various challenges which include inadequate popularity of the Adult Continuing Education (ACE) programmes.
She further noted that the programmes offered by the ACE department which are basic literacy programmes aiming to impart basic literacy and communication skills to the illiterate population.
The post-literacy programme targets the basis literacy graduates and semi-literates in the District.
The non-formal education on programmes which is an alternative approach to formal basic education targeting the youth and adults who have no access to formal basic education and to those who dropped out from the formal system before acquiring sustaining literacy skills.
The other non-formal program is community learning resource centres where the department has established five community learning resource centers to improve learning environment.
The members of the committee insisted on making adult education more relevant since a country cannot develop when the levels of illiteracy are high.