The Politics of Adult Education: Adult Learning and Social Democracy?

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The Politics of Adult EducationAdult Learning
and Social Democracy?

• Dr. Balázs Németh
• Associate Professor - Observatory PASCAL
  Associate
• Faculty of Adult Education and HRD University
  of Pécs
• Regional Lifelong Learning Research Centre

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Definition of SOCIAL DEMOCRACY in Political
Science1.) a political movement advocating a
gradual and peaceful transition from capitalism
to socialism by democratic means 2.) a
democratic welfare state that incorporates both
capitalist and socialist practicesSource
http//www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/social2
0democracy

• .
• Balázs Németh - 05. 10. 2012.

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Some inspiring mindsFranz
PöggelerColin GriffinHerman BaertPeter
Jarvis Kjell Rubenson

• .

Balázs Németh - 05. 10. 2012.
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What are the criteria for Social Democracy
in adult learning and education- Access and
Opportunities- Trust- Engagement/Commitment
- Motivation/Goals- Environment- etc.

• Balázs Németh 05. 10. 2012.

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What is the benefit of social democracy in
adult learning and education- Effective and
learner-centred provision- Better/developed
methods and contents- Better learning and
teaching performance- More transparent
processes- More holistic approaches- More
process-orientation and comparability

• Balázs Németh 05. 10. 2012.

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Active citizenship

• Citizenship related to rights (civil, political
  and social) and participation
• Active citizenship is about conscious practice
  of rights and recognition of status
• Challenge redefinition of democratic
  citizenship, social responsibility at risk
• Having to ballance between individual freedom
  and collective interest role of participatory
  competencies.

H. Baert Reconstructing Active Citizenship. In
Schmidt-Lauff, S. (ed.) (2003) Adult Education
and Lifelong Learning. Verlag Kovac, Berlin. Pp.
55-69.
Balázs Németh 05. 10. 2012
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Active citizenship

• Citizenship education should focus on
  competencies of citizens to negotiate the
  cultural codes and symbols that inform them about
  their position in the global networks that mark
  their lives
• Three main objectives in citizenship education
  for adults
• Education to facilitate the critical
  interrogation of dominant cultural codes and
  symbols in order to help finding connections
  between power and culture referring to interest
  and knowledge
• Education can encourage the exploration of
  cultural perspectives and codes embedded in
  different meanings, values and views (Finding
  alternatives, holistic meaning)
• Personalizing the political. Deconstructing
  dominant codes of information by discovering
  personal experiences of learning citizenship.

T. Jansen Citizenship, Identities and Adult
Education. In Schmidt-Lauff, S. (ed.) (2003)
Adult Education and Lifelong Learning. Verlag
Kovac, Berlin. Pp. 55-69.
Balázs Németh 05. 10. 2012
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Active citizenship
However, the key to the door of citizenship in
contemporary society, according to EC policy
documents, is employability that, paradoxically,
can produce life, which might udermine the desire
to participate in active citizenship. Citizenshi
p is now a responsibility rather than a right
and, there is still a fundamental conceptual
difference between citizenship and active
citizenship the one about rights and the other
about the excercise of responsibility, although
this need not occur only in traditional sphere of
national citizenship. Territory and playing a
role in the political/public domain are no longer
the basis of active citizenship but being members
of communities of interest whether local,
regional, national or international. (p. 12.)
P. Jarvis (2004) Lifelong Learning and Active
Citizenship in a Global Society. JACE,
NIACE-Leicester. Vol 10., No1., Pp. 3-19.
Balázs Németh 05. 10. 2012
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Adult education will become an agency of
progress if its short-term goal of
self-improvement can be made compatible with a
long-term, experimental but resolute policy of
changing the social order. Eduard Lindeman,
The Meaning of Adult Education (1926).Source
http//fcis.oise.utoronto.ca/daniel_schugurensky/
quotes.html

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While ... the case for lifelong education rests
ultimately upon the nature and needs of human
personality in such a way that no individual can
rightly be regarded as outside its scope, the
social reasons (i.e. democracy and
responsibility) for fostering it are as powerful
as the personal. Basil A. Yeaxlee, Lifelong
Education (1929). Source http//fcis.oise.utoro
nto.ca/daniel_schugurensky/quotes.html

• Balázs Németh 05. 10. 2012.

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Education is a collective asset that cannot be
left only to market forces. Thus whatever the
organisation or the degree of decentralisation or
diversification of a system, the state must
assume certain responsibilities to its citizens,
including creating a national concensus on
education, ensuring that the system forms a
coherent whole and proposing a long term view for
the future. The Delors Report - UNESCO (1996).
Source Learning The Tresure Within. Paris
UNESCO. P. 160.Terms usedCompetitionCo-operat
ion Solidarity

• Balázs Németh 05. 10. 2012.

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Government retains the primary responsibility
for access to and equity in lifelong learning in
all forms and at all stages, whether the
opportunities are afforded through the market or
provided directly by the government.Lifelong
Learning for All - OECD (1996). Source
Lifelong Learning for All . Paris Organisation
for economic Co-operation and Development, P.
185.

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Member States can no longer afford to be
without an efficient adult learning system,
integrated into their lifelong learning strategy,
providing participants with increased labour
market access, better social integration and
preparing them for active ageing for the
future.They should ensure that they have systems
which enable them to define priorities and
monitor their implementation.Source It is
never too late to learn, EC Brussels (2006)
p.5.http//eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriSer
v.do?uriCOM20060614FINENPDF

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This Action Plan focuses on those who
are disadvantaged because of their low literacy
levels, inadequate work skills and/or skills for
successful integration into society. Depending on
the Member State, these could include migrants,
older people, women or persons with a
disability.It starts from the premise that the
need for a high quality and accessible adult
learning system is no longer a point of
discussion, given the challenges Europe has to
meet in the coming years The Action Plan aims
to help strengthening the adult learning sector
in order to be able to use its full capacity.
This a complex sector, with a wide variety of
providers, reaching all kinds of target groups.
The cross-sectoral nature of adult learning is
recognised.Source Action Plan on Adult
learningIt is always a good time to learn EC
Brussels (2007) p.3.http//eur-lex.europa.eu/LexU
riServ/LexUriServ.do?uriCOM20070558FINENPDF

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We are convinced and inspired by the
critical role of lifelong learning in addressing
global and educational issues and challenges. It
is furthermore our conviction that adult learning
and education equip people with the necessary
knowledge, capabilities, skills, competences and
values to exercise and advance their rights and
take control of their destinies. Adult learning
and education are also an imperative for the
achievement of equity and inclusion, for
alleviating poverty and for building equitable,
tolerant, sustainable and knowledge-based
societies.Source Belém Framework for Action
CONFINTEA VI, UNESCO UIL, P. 2.
http//www.unesco.org/fileadmin/MULTIMEDIA/INSTIT
UTES/UIL/confintea/pdf/working_documents/Belém20F
ramework_Final.pdf

• Balázs Németh 05. 10. 2012.

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EUROPEAN AGENDA FOR ADULT
LEARNINGPriority areas for the period
2012-20141. Making lifelong learning and
mobility a reality2. Improving the quality and
efficiency of education and training3.
Promoting equity, social cohesion and active
citizenship through adult learning4. Enhancing
the creativity and innovation of adults and their
learning environments5. Improving the knowledge
base on adult learning and monitoring the adult
learning sectorSource Council Resolution on a
renewed European agenda for adult learning.
Council of the European Union. (20. 12.
2011.)http//eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriS
erv.do?uriOJC201137200010006ENPDF

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Some questions for further
elaboration?- How does the state estimate adult
learning and education as an element of the
political, social and scientific/cultural
life?- What do states do for the developmet of
adult learning and education?Do they act as
promotors of adult learning and education or do
they concentrate their influence on an ideal or
simply on financial sponsoring?- Does the state
behave as a partner for adult learning and
education to function as a medium to activate the
political responsibility and critical thinking of
the citizens?- Is there a better learning
climate for adult learning and education or
states would shift its roles toward VET and
HE?

• Balázs Németh 05. 10. 2012.

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The paradox of solidarity
Source http//www.cartoonsto
ck.com/directory/s/solidarity.asp

• Balázs Németh 05. 10. 2012.