Proposing an Action-Implementation Model for Literacy and Vocational Skills Empowerment of Out-of-School Populations in Nigeria

Abstract

This paper proposed an action-implementation model for literacy and vocational skills empowerment of out-of-school populations which Nigeria should adopt in reducing youth unemployment, social exclusion, and vulnerability to crime extremism. The self-designed model arose due to the persistent challenges of out-of-school children and youth in Nigeria. It also addressed functional literacy deficits, linked literacy with livelihood skills, and provided an operational framework for implementing it through already established structures. Using a qualitative analytical approach, the paper reviewed the key factors exacerbating the high prevalence of out-of-school children and youth in Nigeria and the multiple threats and risks they posed to national development and security to justify the need and urgency of addressing the threats holistically which the model was constructed to achieve. The main features of the model, comprising the philosophy, the guiding principles, the target population, the structural components, the implementation framework, the funding strategy, and the expected outcomes, were clearly discussed. The paper recommended how the model should be practically implemented across government ministries and agencies in Nigeria and concluded that the model is a powerful, integrated solution to the crisis of out-of-school populations in Nigeria and most suitable for adoption in policy development, donor proposals, non-governmental programmes, and theoretical framework in academic research because it aligns with the socio-economic, cultural, and institutional realities of Nigeria.