Securing a Policy Framework - Report Back

Reporter Arne Carlsen, Nordic Folk Academy, Denmark, with John Humphrys

I had three workshops: the first one was securing a policy framework that promotes lifelong learning; the second one was national and regional perspectives and the third one providers’ perspective. I have tried to structure my presentation under the heading of 5 themes.

The first one is we need a more consistent legislation to promote lifelong learning; the second one, we need new partnerships; the third one, we need better access for all; the fourth one, we need to develop new concepts; and the last one, we need to promote a learning culture.

Concerning the first one the group agreed that we need a more favourable policy within a consistent legislative framework for promoting lifelong learning. We need better policies of inclusion. We need better co-ordination because the fragmentation of the educational area is rather costly. Fiscal measures could be suggested also to remove barriers to employability. One of the target groups to consider here is the dropouts.

The second theme - new partnerships. Many countries reported that they already see signs of new partnerships at all kinds of levels, ministerial levels, local levels. There are in several countries new inter-ministerial committees combining the work of the ministry of labour, education, social and so on. There is also in many countries already inter-sectoral educational planning work going on. We need also to combine sectors like the health, environment, labour and education. So what we see is a new relation between state, market and civil society, where the market is strengthening and society is strengthening.

The last one includes also more focus on researchers’ work. The state more and more asks researchers to map educational needs at local and national levels, and also to do evaluation work. Some civil societies also stress the work of the voluntary organisations and the new relational dialogue between the state and volunteer organisations.

Finally, schools have to be much more orientated towards the labour market and towards individual needs. If we look at the providers, look at the teachers, not very many of them have the necessary knowledge about how workplaces function or work careers. One country has already started a retraining programme for teachers. Here we find the need for shared responsibility, for this new relationship between state, labour market and civil society. Here we also have a new look at the role of the trade unions.

The third theme, we have to improve access for all, and how can we do it. One possibility is to combine formal with non-formal elements in education. We know that non-formal elements are very successful, especially concerning weak target groups. Countries like Sweden and Denmark have reported higher participation in general in organised learning, which is mainly due to good provision of non-formal adult education. We suggest also credit systems for all forms of learning. You have to accept that there is the same value for learning whatever way it is acquired, at school, at the workplace or in leisure time.

We need to improve learning environments. We need to take special care of targeted groups, people with short education, dropouts and unemployed. One method could be renewal or improving our pedagogical or androgogical methods. We need to have more joy and humour in schools; we need people to leave school with the same motivation for learning as when they entered school, which is very rarely the case. We need also to stress the use of ICT; we need to focus more on the learner but we also have to remember that helping the learner also means focusing on the provider. If learners have to make self directed studies, someone has to provide some of the modules, so we cannot just forget about the institutions and the providers.

Two more. We need to develop the concept of lifelong learning. We are not sure that we all understand the same by this concept. Fourthly, we need also to develop the concept of learning, how adults learn. The fifth point is about providing the learning culture. We need to include families in order to promote a learning culture, to involve the whole people if we are to be successful, to promote it for the many and not only for the few. The suggestion here is that the lifelong learning festival goes European. Included in learning culture should be, and at the same time, competence development, active citizenship and personal development.

John Humphreys: Can we really transfer European experience to a national level? I mean cultures are different, it may be that in some countries we already have schools where there is humour, joy and humour in the classroom. But that is down to individual teachers, isn’t it? Can you actually create structures to encourage that?

Talvi Marja

My answer to this question will be yes and no. Or I would prefer, no and yes. No, because different countries and different nations have their own cultural background and cultural rules, while education has a different position. No, because different countries have a different concept of lifelong learning - and we heard in our group terms like lifelong learning, lifewide learning, permanent learning - and we also heard from the some people that they are not using this kind of term at all, or at least not yet. And also no because different countries have different legislative systems, which should be taken into account when talking about lifelong learning and developing a concept of lifelong learning.

But yes too. Yes, because it is very fruitful and inspiring to listen to the experiences of other countries and one could use those in his or her work. And there is no need to build a new bicycle either, as we say in Estonia.

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