Transcript Developing Adult Learning for Active Citizenship: A

„Now is the time for change: How to arrive at an
inclusive and sustainable system of adult
learning by 2020”
Let’s combine Rethoric with proper Actions!
Dr. Balázs Németh
Associate Professor
Regional Lifelong Learning Research Centre
University of Pécs
A PASCAL Associate
[email protected]
B. Németh – Budapest, 9 March 2011
Old – new roles of HEIs to promote adult
learning
• Promoting the development of institutions, organisations and
movements of sustainable and accessible adult learning and
education;
• Promoting the formation and development of law and policy
tools for adult learning and education in order to foster access,
equal opportunity/inclusiveness and equity especially for
underrepresented groups of adults (Please find more in the
CONFINTEA V and VI reports);
B. Németh – Budapest, 9 March 2011
Old – new roles of HEIs to promote adult
learning
• Developing partnership amongst institutions and organisations
of adult learning and education at local, regional, national and
international levels to signal the task of raising mobility, creativity,
awareness on economic, social, intellectual (scientific – cultural and
art) and environmental issues;
• Developing partnership amongst adult learning, education (ALE)
and other sectors of education (e.g. public education, higher
education, VET-sector) and stakeholders influencing ALE, like local
councils, trade unions, civic groups/NGOs, churches, employers, etc.
B. Németh – Budapest, 9 March 2011
Old – new roles of HEIs to promote adult
learning
• Promoting participation in mobility and parnership-based
projects in LLP Grundtvig, Leonardo da Vinci, Erasmus, and other
EU-funded programmes so as to develop quality adult learning and
education;
• Enhancing the usage and/or the development of VPL and RPL
models;
• Researching and innovating adult learning and education with
comparative approach on major issues influencing ALE;
B. Németh – Budapest, 9 March 2011
The 1919 Report and its message today
„the economic recovery of the nation and the proper use of their
responsibilities by millions of new voters (including women for the first
time) depend on the creation of a more intelligent public opinion.
Therefore, adult education is a permanent national necessity, an
inseparable aspect of citizenship and the opportunity for adult education
should be spread uniformly and systematically over the whole
community.”
In. Fieldhouse, Roger (1996) A History of Modern British Adult Education. Historical and political
context. NIACE, Leicester. p. 5.
B. Németh – Budapest, 9 March 2011
Statement
The most important issue for relevant stakeholders today is to raise
participation in adult learning through various tools, like bottom-up planning
and policy-development, proper financing initiatives, better provision, motivation,
second chance programmes, partnership-based actions, voluntary services,
community development and citizenship-orientations, the education and training
of adult educators and, last but not least, theory-based, practice-oriented
research and innovation through a strong involvement and participation of HEIs
as part of their lifelong learning mission.
B. Németh – Budapest, 9 March 2011
How can the EC better support co-operation and
exchange in Adult Learning? Some proposals
• The EC organise an Adult Learning Academy with annual programmes for
practitioner adult educators, trainers, policy makers and researchers in
cooperation with stakeholders;
• The website of the EC dealing with adult learning ought to be more
structured and interactive in order to represent more examples of the EC
should promote the organisation of on-going EU Presidency dialogue on adult
learning in order to help reaching ET 2020 and EU 2020 strategic goals.
Good practice links, together with concrete project-examples at national
agencies;
• The EC should promote the organisation of on-going EU Presidency
dialogue/conference on adult learning in lines with ET 2020 and EU 2020
strategic goals.
B. Németh – Budapest, 9 March 2011
Recommendations in relation to Adult Learning and
Education in universities regarding research needs
which universities provide
• innovative models of learning cities and regions around Europe and on
other continents can be used as a proper frame for action in a more
partnership-based initiative so as to combine local – regional services and
provisions in adult learning and education to match learning needs;
• Universities promote new places of learning, like libraries, museums,
companies and themselves or even some peculiar virtual communities by
cementing and widening a third mission, which requires a strong
involvement of adult learning and education, in the context of, for
example, intergenerational learning and intercultural orientation, identity
building, to help balancing social and economic interests with holistic
approaches and ethical issues to influence concrete forms of the knowledge
triangle.
B. Németh – Budapest, 9 March 2011
Recommendations in relation to Adult Learning and
Education in universities regarding research needs
which universities provide
• HEIs represent in this context the education and training of adult
educators and other training providers in regional, national and
European partnership. Make more use of this in the new Action Plan
B. Németh – Budapest, 9 March 2011
Two priorities in adult learning policy in Europe
for a next Adult Learning Action Plan
• Priority 1. As part of the Improvement of the quality of provision, the
development of adult learning is essential through new programmes
focusing on community development, social cohesion and active
citizenship for societies of inclusion and solidarity;
• Priority 2. Quality development of and applied research of policy
and practice with providers for sustainable and accessible adult
learning and education in alliance with universities opening doors
for adults through flexible routes situations of learning.
B. Németh – Budapest, 9 March 2011
Adult Learning Action Plan: It is always a good time
to learn. (EC, 27. 09. 2007.) COM (2007.) 558 final
Efficient adult learning sector:
• Policy: meet the needs of economy and society;
• Governance: quality, efficiency and accountability;
• Delivery: flexible access, recognition and validation, learning closer to
the learner, financial support
B. Németh – Budapest, 9 March 2011
Adult Learning Action Plan: It is always a good time
to learn. (EC, 27. 09. 2007.) COM (2007.) 558 final
Focus of the Action Plan:
Those who are disadvantaged because of their:
• Low literacy skills;
• Inadequate work skills;
• Insufficient skills for successful integration into society.
B. Németh – Budapest, 9 March 2011
Problem areas
Some basic questions for research:
- History and development, orientation;
- ConditionsA: political/social – economic – legal (Who, when, why)
- ConditionsB: methods – tools – curricula (What, how)
- Language/terminology;
- Spatial approachA: local/regional – national - supranational (Where)
Comparative approach;
- Spatial approachB: formal – non-formal - informal
B. Németh – Budapest, 9 March 2011
Key questions
• Implementation of the Action Plan on Adult Learning of the EC;
• Starting methods and process of validating and recognising PL;
• Improving second chance education;
• Reducing the number of early school leavers and of functional illiterates;
• Raising the level of qualification of labour force/ upgrading skills;
• Quality development of VET and partnership-based trainings with
enterprises;
• Education and training of adult learning staff and providers – a role for
HE;
• Finding new forms and mechanisms for funding adult learning;
• Promoting and engagement in quality research in adult education and .
with comparative methods;
B. Németh – Budapest, 9 March 2011