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2005/ED/EFA/MRT/PI/49
Background paper prepared for the
Education for All Global Monitoring Report 2005
The Quality Imperative
Quality adult learning
UNESCO Institute for Education (UIE)2004
This paper was commissioned by the Education for All Global Monitoring Report as
background information to assist in drafting the 2005 report. It has not been edited by the team.
The views and opinions expressed in this paper are those of the author(s) and should not be
attributed to theEFA Global Monitoring Reportor to UNESCO. The papers can be cited with the
following reference: Paper commissioned for the EFA Global Monitoring Report 2005, The
Quality Imperative. For further information, please contact [email protected]
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Quality adult learning
UNESCO Institute for Education, Hamburg
Quality in adult learning is an evolving theme and there are several dimensions and
illuminations to quality in relation to adult learning. Quality adult learning is best
reflected in the learning achievement of adults. It is an outcome of the combined effect ofa host of factors. This paper highlights the importance especially of three characteristics
of quality adult learning. These include (1) the fulfilment (access and practice) of the
rights of adults to empowering and relevant basic education; (2) making education ameans for personal, community and human development, for active citizenship, and for
improving the lives of people. (3) the importance of the experience of participating in
dynamic, rich and inclusive learning environments; The analysis will also highlight thedifferent approaches to measuring the individual and social benefits of adult learning.
The issue of a universal quality concerning international assessments in adult learning
will also be touched upon very briefly.
This paper attempts to explore these dimensions of quality by drawing on cases of good
practice, research studies as well as the National Reviews submitted to the UNESCO
Institute for Education (UIE) in the context of the CONFINTEA Mid-Term Review(2003).
1As the reviews show, adult learning of good quality is enacted differently in
different countries and regions; however some distinct trends have emerged.
The field of adult learning is one in which conventional definitions of quality relating to
teachers performance, their ratio to pupils, the curriculum management, examination
systems, content and techniques used are necessary but not sufficient to secure quality.
Because of the very diverse nature of this field of learning, which through its very genesisis a reaction to or complement to formal and institutionalised learning, and because adult
learning is marked more by programme and project orientation, and by learning in non-
formal and informal settings, a bolder and more comprehensive definition of qualityadult learning is needed than is provided by assessments of quality in formal educational
systems.
1 These reviews were a response to the call made by UIE for assessing the progress made in the different
world regions towards the objectives set during the Fifth International Conference on Adult Education
held in Hamburg in 1997. The majority of the reports were submitted by the Member States through
their respective UNESCO National Commissions, following a comprehensive common grid for
analytical purposes (See appendix 1). However in some cases individual institutions such as UniversityDepartments of Adult Learning, research institutes and non-governmental organisations were specially
contracted to conduct a national review.
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Fulfilment (access and practice) of the rights of adults to
empowering and relevant literacy and basic education
Contextual trends have an important bearing on national educational systems and areextremely relevant to quality concerns in adult learning. These influences include the
normative principles of human rights and a common vision for the fulfilment of
humanity reflected in human development. They also include conditions andcircumstances that humanity faces in the current period of history such as the forces of
globalisation, the sweeping consequences of the digital communication technology and
the imperatives of sustainable development.
The Human Rights perspective of education is particularly germane in the context of
educational deprivation of various disadvantaged groups and disparities in participationin education. There are nearly 1,000 million people who have not acquired literacy skills
and millions who have been unable to sustain them. Access to basic education and the
content and purposes of education should be a key element of promoting the concept andpractice of human development.
The Human rights approach is not just a question of income and consumption of goods
and services, but also about access to the means and resources that enable people todevelop their human potential and to exercise the choices to live productive and creative
lives. Both CONFINTEA V and the Dakar World Forum of Education2 stated that
education must give adults from poor backgrounds the possibility for economic, socialand political participation. Education of women and girls must be given high priority.
Adult education must promote democracy and human rights. It must strengthen adults
self-respect and cultural identity. Governments and national stakeholders must be
responsible for shaping their education policy and for ensuring that their citizens areprovided with basic education.
The concept of lifelong learning, leading to a learning societyvisualised for severaldecades now is an equally important framework for quality adult education. Two
premises are critical for all nations of the world to reorganise their educational structures:
first, a learning society is one in which all agencies within society become providers ofeducation and second that all citizens should be engaged in learning (Faure 1972).
2
The Fifth International Conference on Adult Education in 1997 (CONFINTEA V) underscored both theright and the responsibility succinctly: Basic Education for all means that people, whatever their age,
have an opportunity, individually and collectively, to realise their potential. It is not only a right it isalso a duty and a responsibility, both to others and to society as a whole. It is essential that the
recognition of the right to education through life should be accompanied by measures to create the
conditions required to exercise this right (UNESCO-UIE 1997:22). The CONFINTEA commitments
have acquired new relevance in the light of the Dakar Framework for Action. Both conferences made a
strong commitment to an expanded concept of basic education aimed at meeting basic learning needswithin and outside schools and throughout life.
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Lifelong learning and the learning society
Taking seriously the concept of lifelong learning means providing every individual with the conditions forlearning further and learning continuously for improving his/her lot and it mean different things to different
people.
For a non-literate it could mean functional literacy combined with a series of learning programmes thatwould help him improve his awareness, capability, skills, confidence and participation in development.
It would mean acquisition of farming and farm management techniques to a farmer.
For a semi-literate, rural woman who has been pushed out from school at the primary educationstage, it may mean acquisition of a skill to enhance the level of living of her family or it may mean
attending a short-term course on gender equity which would give her enough confidence to speak outagainst injustice.
For the educated sections of adults, teachers, housewives, truck drivers, social and political activities,and local leaders,- in fact every member of society, it means to unlearn and relearn further.
Source: Ahmed, Mansoor (2002): Lifelong learning and the Learning Society, in: UNESCO Institute for
Education (UIE),Institutionalising adult learning: Creating conducive Environments for Adult Learning in
the Asian Context.
A fundamental question is how the obligations relating to the right to literacy and basic
education of adults is incorporated into national legal systems. The World Forum of
Education highlighted that the responsibility rests on governments to see that thepolitical commitments undertaken to making literacy and basic education a reality for all
are translated into national laws and policies. Certain significant trends on policy
priorities in developing and industrialised countries have emerged from an analysis of theNational Reviews (UIE 2003 Draft Synthesis Report of the CONFINTEA V Mid Term
Review).
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Significant trends on policy priorities in adult learning
A striking trend is the important differences between industrialised and developing countries. While
lifelong learning is a high policy priority in industrialised countries, it is still basic education for all for the
developing countries. Industrialised countries are more preoccupied with perfecting the necessary tools fordeveloping the knowledge society. In that respect the use of information and communication technologies
in education, and the training of the labour force for meeting the challenges of the changing labour marketare amongst the highest priorities. Industrialised countries are also enacting policies for putting in placesystems for the recognition of qualifications acquired outside the formal system of education and training.
In industrialised countries secondary education is the measure of basic education for all, especially in
OECD countries, in Southeast Asia and in most Latin American countries and the Caribbean.
For developing countries the policy preoccupation is still basic education for all, including literacy andpost-literacy for youth and adults, the empowerment of women and the contribution of adult education to
sustainable development.
However, there is no definite line of demarcation between industrialised countries and developing
countries. Industrialised countries have their own problems of the education of disadvantaged groups
including immigrants and those who are functionally illiterate. In both North and South there is legislationenacted in favour of special groups such as disabled, prison inmates, foreign workers and ethnic minorities.
In all countries there has been a change of policy to give increasing support to women. There is also a
burgeoning interest in integrating lifelong learning as a concept in educational planning in some developing
countries such as Botswana, Brazil, Chile, Myanmar, Namibia and South Africa and Thailand.
Source: UIE 2003,Draft Synthesis Report on the CONFINTEA Mid-Term Review
The New Policy of Lifelong Learning in Thailand
Thailand has shown interest in the overall framework of lifelong education and the integration of formal,
non-formal and informal education into a broad and holistic vision. In 1999 the Education Act was passed.The Act identified three principles for the future provision of education:
1. Lifelong education for all;2. Participation of all segments and stakeholders of society in the provision of education;3. Continuous development of the body of knowledge and content and learning processes.The Educational Act of 1999 was a means to improve the learning process for personal and socialdevelopment through knowledge, practice, training, transmission of culture, enhancement of academic
progress, creating a proper learning environment and a society supported by appropriate structures
conducive to continuous lifelong learning.
In the context of this Educational Act, the Thai government introduced several educational reforms:
- It decentralised educational service to educational institutions and local administration.- Strong partnerships were formed with individuals, families, communities, community organisations
and local administration organisations, professional bodies, religious institutions, enterprises and other
social institutions.
Source: UIE 2002, Institutionalising Lifelong Learning: Creative Conducive environments for adult
learning in the Asian Context. UNESCO Institute for Education, Hamburg
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Lifelong learning policy initiatives in Europe
An important European Union Initiative focussing on Lifelong Learning (LLL) is the Memorandum on
Lifelong Learning which the Commission issued in November 2000. A broad consultation process waslaunched at both national and European level, involving all partners and civil society organisations and
members. On the basis of this the European Commission adopted a formal Communication with the title
Making a European Area of Lifelong Learning a Realityin November 2001.
Six pillars were identified on which lifelong learning policies in Europe might be built up:
Valuing learning, i.e. ensuring that people are given credit for their knowledge and competences, inwhatever manner or context they may have been acquired;
Improved information, guidance and counselling, as a necessary corollary to the emphasis on alearner-centred approach to lifelong learning;
Investing time and money in learning, with a dual orientation of investing both more and better; Bringing together learners and learning opportunities and bringing learning closer to home,
involving a stronger emphasis on promoting co-operation between all actors in the learning process at
regional and local level, including the development of Learning regions;
Giving access to Basic skills for all, understood as referring both to old skills ( the 3 Rs) and tonew skills (ICT, foreign languages, problem-solving, team-working and so on);
Creating an innovative open and flexible pedagogy (and corresponding teacher training) based on thecentrality of the learners needs and interests.
Source: European Commission 2001, Making a European Area of Lifelong Learning a Reality. EU,
Brussels
Policy initiatives in literacy and basic education for all in developing countries
The goal of Cambodias Education Strategic Plan (ESP) is to develop an inclusive, easily accessible and
high quality non-formal education, which is available to all, as a means of enabling economic growth,
improved employment prospects and income-generating opportunities. The Plan also recognises educationas necessary, to realising improved family wealth, improved nutrition, family planning, and to engendering
democratic traditions (Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports (MoEYS).
In the Seychelles the National Literacy Programme is offered free of charge to ensure basic education for
all adults and out-of-school youth. The Ministry of Education and Youth through the adult learning anddistance learning system co-ordinates the programme.
In Botswana the State remains the single largest provider of adult basic education, extension and continuing
education and is carrying out an extensive evaluation of the Botswana National Literacy Programme
(BNLP) of the Department of Non-Formal Education (DNFE).
In Niger, a Bill on the orientation of the National Education System adopted in June 1998 states that thestructure of non-formal education consists of (a)Literacy and adult education centres; (b) Training centres
for community development and (c) Quaranic schools. Between 1998-2001 six decentralised services were
created to link with all concerned administrative sectors.
In Mali, a law adopted by the government in 1999 provided the legal basis for the Decade for theDevelopment of Education which started in 2000. The structure of basic education consists of: elementary
schools, the Centres for Functional Literacy and the Centres for Development .
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In Ivory Coast the National Literacy Committee was created in April for co-ordination of Literacy
Activities. In 1999 the National Literacy Support Fund was created.
In the Union of Myanmar, adult education is part of the structure of the Ministry of Education, which is themain sponsor of education and training. Non-formal education is the responsibility of the National
Research Bureau, within the Ministry of Education, supported by village and township committees andnetworks of community learning centres and a literacy resource centre established in 2000 to serve EFAand NFE
In China a new policy framework of 2002 focuses on promoting literacy campaigns and improving
curriculum contents and delivery systems for economically disadvantaged rural areas in West China.
Source: UIE 2003Draft Synthesis Report of the CONFINTEA V Mid-Term Review.Mimeograph
The analysis of the National Reviews (UIE 2003) clearly indicates that important
educational structures and conditions have been created for implementing the policiesand political commitments for realising the rights to literacy and adult basic education.
While some of these structures have common elements such as linkages with the formal
education system, particularly with basic education, many of the structures have theirown particular features, such as committees and boards with co-ordinating functions.
There is an increase in the policy of decentralisation of responsibility of adult education
to regional, provincial and local level, in order to increase the degree of relevance of theactivities, and to lessen the administrative burden. The number of NGOs and social
partners that have been active in supporting adult education programmes are also striking
trends in policy implementation (UIE 2003 Draft Synthesis Report).
Making education a means for personal, community andhuman development, for citizenship and for improving the
lives of adults and addressing basic needs
The right to education and lifelong learning for All towards a learning society are notobjectives of quality adult learning in themselves. They are a means for personal,
community and human development, for active citizenship building and for improving
the lives of adults in the context of new global realities. In other words a good quality
adult education must address the basic learning needs of all adults and young people.
Basic learning needs are inextricably linked to basic needs of individuals, groups andsociety. Basic needs vary according to age, gender, context, and culture, and according to
individual interests, motivations and preferences. Basic needs also change with time, so
that the content and mode of satisfying basic needs as well as basic learning needs thatderive from them, will also have to change according to context, purpose and time.
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Individuals and communities basic learning needs also differ according to their
perceptions of these needs. It is often the poor and the disadvantaged, and those that areexcluded from information and knowledge who have perceived learning needs that are
limited in scope. It should therefore be the task of quality adult learning to enhance these
learning needs, once the basic level needs are addressed.
A quality adult learning is one which responds to the new basic learning needs of adults
brought by the changing and contradictory global realities and the new emerging
economic and social order. Both in the North and in the South a new, wider and morecomplex competencies are needed to be able to understand, anticipate and deal with the
new global realities, such as being able to link primary products in remote rural areas to
markets on the other side of the globe; taking advantage of new avenues ofemployment; learning new communication technologies in rural areas in developing
countries; seeing the potential for education and empowerment of communication
technologies and by same token seeing the enormous challenges of translating this
potential into reality; learning to discriminate information; learning to connect and
network; being aware that the already educated and literate are in a more advantageousposition to benefit from these communication technologies; learning capacities to
overcome family disintegration, unemployment and work instability; building capacitiesto do something about environmental degradation; parents and communities assuming a
greater role in the learning of their children; being entrepreneurial in participating in new
forms of production in the informal or popular economy; being active againstindividualism, competition and consumerism; being aware of market forces and
transnational corporations; building capacities to deal with the structural dimensions of
poverty, illiteracy, unemployment, migration, racism, intolerance, violence, war andterrorism; learning other languages and working against the tendency towards cultural
homogenisation; etc..
Among the knowledge, skills, values and attitudes to cope with the current realities that
are often cited in adult learning programmes, policies and evaluation reports, are criticalthinking, problem solving, innovativeness, entrepreneurship, co-operation,
communication, associativeness, tolerance, acceptance of diversity and openness to
accept and cope with change.
These learning outcomes have been variously stated in the different international
frameworks. The World Conference on Education identified seven learning needs or
learning outcomes of basic education common to children, youth and adults. These aresurviving, developing ones full capacities, living and working in dignity, participating
fully in development, improving the quality of life, making informed decisions and
continuing to learn. Apart from the four pillars of learning, the Delors CommissionReport (1996) laid strong emphasis on renewal of knowledge, skills and learning abilities
of individuals to adapt to the new environment. It advocated learning throughout life,
being creative, acting creatively on ones own environment, acquiring occupational skills,
and also more broadly, facing the rapid social change and working in teams. The DakarWorld Forum (2000) reaffirmed the indicators of learning that were highlighted by the
Delors Commission Report (1996) an education that includes learning to know, to do, to
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live together and to be. It is an education geared to tapping each persons talents and
potential, and developing learners personalities, so that they can improve their lives andtransform their societies. (UNESCO 2000). According to CONFINTEA V, The Fifth
International Conference on Adult Education The objectives of youth and adult
education, viewed as a lifelong process, are to develop the autonomy and the sense of
responsibility of people and communities, to reinforce the capacity to deal with thetransformations taking place in the economy, in culture and in society as a whole, and to
promote coexistence, tolerance and the informed and creative participation of citizens in
their communities, in short to enable people and communities to take control of theirdestiny and society in order to face the challenges ahead. It is essential that the approach
to adult learning be based on peoples own heritage, culture, values and prior experiences
and that the diverse ways in which these approaches are implemented enable andencourage every citizen to be actively involved and to have a voice (The Hamburg
Declaration and The Agenda for the Future, UIE 1997). The Memorandum on Lifelong
Learning of the European Commission states: The knowledge, skills and understanding
that we learn as children as young people in the family, at school, during training and at
college or university will not last a lifetime. Integrating learning more firmly into adultlife is a very important part of putting lifelong learning into practice, but it is
nevertheless, juts one part of the whole. Lifelong learning sees all learning as a seamlesscontinuum from cradle to grave. High quality basic education for all, from a childs
youngest days forward, is the essential foundation. Basic education, followed by initial
vocational education and training, should equip all young people with the new basic skillsrequired in a knowledge-based economy. It should also ensure that they have learnt to
learn and that they have a positive attitude towards learning. (Commission of the
European Communities 2000 Original Bold)
Literacy is a foundation and key basic learning need and remains at the heart of mostbasic and most sophisticated competencies. Being able to read and write a short message
of everyday life is not enough for survival. The concept and scope of literacy have
changed over the past decades. The renewed vision of literacy is essential to quality adult
learning and would include the following indicators: literacy is a social responsibilitybecause illiteracy is a structural phenomena; literacy is acquired in broader socio-
economic interventions; literacy goals include literacy acquisition, development and
effective use; Literacy can be made sustainable by creating literate environments andliterate societies; literacy is a lifelong learning process; literacy is holistic it is related to
both oral and written expression and communication; there is no one single model or
approach to literacy; literacy is a plural concept.
Adult learning is not just literacy. Adult learning projects and programmes aim to enableadults to improve the skills and knowledge so that they can fully and effectively function
in their daily lives and in their social contexts. It strives to engender human values oftolerance, gender justice and interculturality and to serve a range of social, economic and
developmental roles. A fundamental aim of such projects is to build the dignity and self-
esteem of the learner.
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Literacy and livelihood
The issue of the relationship between literacy, adult basic education, skills training and livelihood has
widened the notion of quality to include impact on the quality of life and improved developmental
outcomes.
Although data are not available on the impacts of livelihood training on production, productivity andstandards of living, people who have completed literacy and adult basic education courses tend to be moreconfident and more willing to take initiatives in developing their livelihoods or in taking an active interest
in the operations of their co-operatives. Successful learners claim that they are able to follow more
productive agricultural or livestock practices. People felt they could no longer be easily cheated, when they
bought inputs or sold produce. These psychosocial aspects should be considered important in designing
adult educational policies as they do impinge on the productivity of current livelihoods and on thewillingness to seek opportunities to develop new livelihood. Literacy with livelihood skills have also
helped to contribute to small enterprise development and also at the same time helped to challenge
differential power relations in the community.
Source: Oxenham, et al. 2001. Strengthening Livelihoods with Literacy
The positive effects of increasing levels of literacy among women have been documentedat the macro-level i.e. national levels of female literacy increase, improvement in lower
infant mortality, higher enrolment rate among girls, better child health, lower fertility
rates. While the direct causal relationship between literacy and these effects is not
clarified, the observable positive correlation is consistent. Beyond the instrumentalbenefits the intangible benefits of learning in the end do more to gender equality.
Learning provides the opportunity to develop the positive attitudes such as self-
confidence, self-esteem and self-determination, through learning content, but moreimportantly through the learning process. As participating in literacy and non-formal
learning programmes is a social event, it gives women a forum to share experience of
male and female gender roles, to develop new insights and knowledge in this area and tosupport each other in changing the situation.
Adult learning and empowerment
Empowerment is a term that people interpret differently according to their perception of what they need inorder to transform their life situations. In a recent study in Nepal, womens aspirations encompassed both
the satisfaction of practical needs having enough to eat, clothes to wear and more strategic aspirations,
such as being able to speak up in meetings and with local government officials. The two most frequently
cited representations of empowerment were self-confidence and knowledge. Literacy gave men andwomen social status and functional skills. Having knowledge meant understanding issues relevant to ones
own well-being, and being able to share this knowledge for the benefit of the community. He or she has a
voice in meetings, can access and analyse information, has the ability to engage with outsiders and officialsmore effectively.
Studies in countries, such as Ghana, India and Uganda, have provided clear examples of how the literacy
and basic education of adults can help people to build community capacity and solidarity become aware oftheir rights, find self-express and self-esteem. These are all fundamental aspects of greater participation in,
and ownership of the development process, as a rights-based approach would advocate. Of course literacy
and basic education of adults is not the sole or singular cause of empowerment. This would be an
oversimplification of a complex and interacting social, political and economic dynamic.
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Source: Source Dfid, March 2002,Background Briefing.
Many NGOs are promoting adult learning for democracy e.g. through a mobilisation of
environmental justice networks including fishermens rights, water rights for smallfarmers and waste management rights for garbage collectors. Strengthening voter
education programmes and civic education programmes have also been highlighted in
several national reviews.3 Some governments have set up committees and working
groups on what democratic values need to be promoted through education and have
suggested qualities that the educational system should promote such as equity, tolerance,
multilingualism, openness, accountability and social honour.4
Legal literacy for awareness of legal rights of women
The Multiple Action Research Group (MARG) in New Delhi has developed a new programme ofawareness of the legal rights, and many cases of abuse against women. The initiative has motivated the
women not only to learn about their rights, but also to exercise these rights in cases such as violence and
rape, registering crimes, property and marital disputes. Some of the women have become interested indeveloping reading and writing skills through this programme one of the most striking results having
been the increase in confidence in decision-making by the facilitators, as well as by the women themselves.
Source Dfid, March 2002,Background Briefing.
Adult learning and health
Health education is emerging as a distinct concept, embracing life skills, such as critical thinking, problem
solving, responsible citizenship, self directed learning, self-advocacy and communication skills. The
effectiveness of educational efforts to prevent the spread of HIV/AIDS virus is likely to be significant iftarget population have these skills. Relevant learning skills involve more than reading print messages and
information. They include the ability to interpret visual media messages, as well as the capacity to access
and use the technologies that provide health information.
Source Dfid, March 2002,Background Briefing.
Evaluations of innovative models of family literacy have shown that through courses
parents have been able to boost their confidence about helping their children, and abouttheir own educational attainment. The parents learnt a great deal about the National
literacy and Numeracy Strategies, about how children learn, and about how to help their
children. Many adults were keen to progress to further courses, and many became moreinvolved with their childrens schools. Evidence on benefits for children was limited, but
co-ordinators and teachers were convinced that children were gaining from their parents
3 Namibian National Review4 South African National Review
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increased interest, knowledge and involvement. Parents interviewed reported that they
listened to their children more.5
The above evidence on the wider benefits to individuals and society have important
implications for understanding terms such as achievement, outcomes and learners
progress in adult learning, especially learning that is often not recognised, validated andcertified.
Different stakeholders can have very different perceptions of what constitutes learningsuccess and progress. Learners consider personal gains such as increased confidence and
the discovery of previously unsuspected talents and capacities to be the major benefits
they have gained from participation in adult learning. Participation reduces isolation andleads to significant expansion of activities. Many learners are using the skills to generate
income, and to improve their employment prospects. Participation in one course may give
many learners the confidence and incentive to enrol in another, sometimes higher level
course. There are intangible goods involved in learning creative and intellectual
stimulus, enjoyment, social interaction, increase in confidence, more positive feelings andpersonal change which go beyond education-, career or income contingent outcomes.
Often the most frequently mentioned gains from informal and non-formal learning have
to do with feelings and attitudes rather than qualifications and jobs. Self-confidence and
creative stimulus are outcomes, which cannot be measured directly or tangibly and do notlend themselves to calculation and quantification.
A major problem in investigating learning outcomes is that the true impact of learningmay not always be apparent in the short term. There can be delayed recognition of
learning, and the eventual use of a skill that takes place some time after the programmeitself has finished.
As far as databases are concerned, there is still need for more well founded evidence on
the links between lerning and outcomes that cannot be easily described or evaluated inmonetary or quantitative terms but that are nonetheless important both to individuals and
to society as a whole.
5 Keeping up with the children. (KUC) Evaluation for the Basic Skills Agency by the University of
Sheffield and the National Foundation for Educational Research ( The Basic Skills Agency Family
Programmes. 2002
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Effective learning: The importance of the experience of
participating in dynamic, rich and inclusive learning
environments
The new challenges posed by current highly inequitable global economic and social
realities present a major opportunity to rethink and reshape the whole teaching and adult
learning system. Learning is a highly complex process and achievement, and learningneeds styles, interest and strategies are different for every individual and for every group.
It is precisely for this reason that neither access and inputs nor reducing or increasing
participation rates, are enough for improving quality lerning. Access to learning is quite adifferent matter from access to education. Completing a literacy course is not equivalent
to becoming literate and using the written language for meaningful personal and social
purposes.
Lifelong learning towards a learning implies the introduction of a new culture of learningin which learning is participatory, inclusive, experiential, and which takes place in rich
and dynamic environments. In the following, the above components of effective adultlearning will be elaborated upon.
Quality learning is participatory
Participatory learning means the experience of engaging, participating, reflecting and
being involved in the processes of learning. Participatory learning emphasises thecapacity of human beings to play an active role in reconceptualing the world around
them. It is a process in which communities effect their own cultural and socialtransformation. In this sense quality learning is one in which learning is not separated
from a fuller participation in social, cultural and economic life, and in which literacy and
basic education is seen as a gateway to this participation.
Participation rates of adults in learning programmes are not enough for measuring if
adults are making progress in learning. Nevertheless it will be useful to look at some of
the trends that have emerged from the National Reviews. The first trend is that there hasbeen an increase in the number of participants in adult education programmes in nearly
all countries since 1997. A striking trend, especially in developing countries is the
unprecedented expansion of learning opportunities for girls and women. There is anoverwhelming support for the education of women and the plausible variety of options
that are made available to them. Equally important is the fact that women in adult-
education classes in general and in literacy classes in particular constituted the majorityin nearly all the developing counties. A remarkable trend is their role in activities of adult
learning throughout the last six years in terms of setting priorities or developing
indicators to measure governments accountability (UIE 2003 Draft Synthesis Report).
Some countries have provided qualitative data on why a certain area of learning was
considered important by the provider and what was the particular motive or motives
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behind learners decisions to enrol in a particular area of study or training (UIE Draft
Synthesis Report 2003). In these countries learners and providers made clear choices witha clear objective in mind. In Botswana, Seychelles and Korea employers have trained a
significant number of adults.6
In Finland work or career, but also personal development
and recreation dictated the reasons behind participation.7 For Sweden, the aim is to
increase the level of education in society, as well as to broaden cultural interest insociety. For the immigrants in Sweden, getting the necessary qualifications to enter the
labour market is the strongest motive. In Mexico the Mexican Educational Model for
Life and Work addresses populations with low educational attainment, and the educationis conceived as a process which helps learners to solve life problems in different contexts.
The model makes a strong linkage with work.8
Learning is a dynamic event and entails a process of reflection and growth. And because
learning is not a commodity but a process of transformation, providers of learning
programmes must give clear reasons for instigating and motivating learners to enrol. This
has been shown very clearly in the Report of a study of programmes of adult education
and training that have attempted to incorporate either training for livelihood skills intomainly literacy instruction, or literacy instruction into mainly training for livelihood skills
(Oxenham et al. 2001)
Success factors in livelihood and literacy programmes
- Education and training programmes for very poor adults need to offer very clear, concrete andimmediate reasons to justify enrolment and ensure perseverance;
- Programmes that start with livelihood skills seem to stand a stronger chance of success. Theydemonstrate an immediate reason for learning ;
- NGOs and non-governmental organisations are more flexible than governmental agencies inresponding to local and changing needs;
- Chances of success are even greater in a programme that works with established groups of people whoshare a common purpose;
- The programme should be run with competent, reliable and adequately supported instructors;- The Programmes should be well adapted to the interests and conditions of its participants.Source: Oxenham, et al. 2001. Strengthening Livelihoods with Literacy
Equally important for participatory learning to take place, is the need for adult learning
programmes to take account of the views of learners and potential learners. The planningof quality adult learning must be driven by basic learning needs, not by central design.
Involvement and Participation of the learner in programme design and its implementation
In some countries the use of Learner Focus Groups help build a picture of the learners role and how
provision reflects their needs. National Learner Surveys in further education, work-based learning and adult
and community learning are being designed to help understand and respond better to learners needs, and to
measure learners levels of satisfaction with adult learning provision and to establish benchmarks againstwhich to monitor trends in learners levels of satisfaction. These are ways of giving a voice to the adult
6 Botswana, Seychelle, Korea
7 Finland8 Mexico
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learner, creating a channel of communication between the adult learner and those who are responsible for
making decisions. The National Adult Learners Forum is way where adult meet together to identify issues
and concerns about their education. It is a means by which adult learners - from the standpoint of
experience and reflection can join in the discussion with professions, providers and decision-
makers at a range of levels in a range of settings.
Source: UK National Review
Quality learning takes place in dynamic and rich learning environments
The development of rich and dynamic learning environments is a key element in qualityadult learning because it critical to the sustainabilityof the use and retention of literacy
and basic skills There is growing evidence to show that even when a particular individual
acquires the basic literacy skills she/he cannot practise these skills until the entire socialgroup begins to use literacy in its day-to-day transactions and interactions. The following
indicators can be said to substantially contribute to dynamic adult learning environments.
Indicators of rich and dynamic learning environments
- promoting and ensuring freedom of expression in conjunction with artistic and creative means ofexpression such as music, theatre, visual images, creative writing,
- widening access to tools for expression and communication , such as newspapers, radio, television andICTs
- establishing and supporting community libraries
- promoting multilingual and multi-cultural policies and education- making reading materials available in the mother tongue and the national language in schools and
communities
- co-operation with the private sector that contribute to cultural development such as book publishing- engaging communities and civil society actors in providing input into the actions for a learning
environment.- democratising the production of knowledge
The above learning environments highlight the diversity of experiences and perspectives,
which can significantly add to the learning experience. They emphasise the importance of
viewing quality adult learning as a complex interaction between: (1) widening social
participation; (2) strengthening social institutions; and (3) promoting co-operationbetween formal, non-formal and informal learning reinforcing each other.
The focus on the role of social institutions in enriching the learning process is oftendevalued as a quality measure in adult learning. Learning can contribute significantly to
effective learning when it is able to engage adults in a culture of lifelong learning and
promote communities of learning. Learning community is often applied to communitylearning centres operating outside the formal school system.
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Learning Communities for the building of learning societies: some indicators
It engages and values:
All learners: children, youth and adults; All potential educators: community educators, parents, teachers, professions, communicator, civil
servants;
All learning means and modalities: education and training, formal, non-formal and informal learning;peer learning; self-directed learning;
All basic needs(sectors) : learning for community development implies working with environment,health, nutrition, education, production work, social services, sanitation, etc.;
All organisations and social institutions: families, media, ethnic, religious and philanthropicorganisations.
It is community based springs from the needs of the community; Assumes that human communities possess learning resources, assets, agents, institutions and networks
that need to be identified valued and enriched;
Sees government as playing a supporting,co-ordinating and compensatory role, especially in regard topoor and the disadvantaged adults; Adopts a broad vision of education; Places great value on intergenerational and peer learning, by highlighting the educational potential of
young people and the elderly;
It is based on the premise of co-operation and alliancebetween, home and school, public and privateand focuses on relationships and networks rather than isolated individuals;
Proposes a bottom-up model of educational development, one capable of challenging conventionalways of conceiving education;
Accepts and encourages diversity.
Source: SIDA 2003: Lifelong Learning, New Education Division Documents No. 14. Authored by Rosa
Mara Torres.
Quality learning is inclusive
Since the poor live under disadvantaged economic and social conditions that have a
negative impact on learning, quality learning among the poor implies ensuring essential
living conditions that provide them with free time and energies to learn. They do not needa remedial education that is irrelevant in any case, but a quality education that is
responsive to their special basic needs - as well as more and better learning opportunities
within the family and the community.
Based on the information from the National Reviews, it is to be observed that the adult
learning needs of special groups have emerged in different ways. In Europe, many adult
education initiatives are primarily directed at unemployed people. Support is being givento immigrants, ethnic minorities and other marginal groups.
9Migrants and refugees form
9See National Reviews from Slovenia and Germany
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an important reference group in adult learning in industrialised countries.10
Several
countries, for example, report special programmes for indigenous populations. TheRepublic of Central Africa has developed a holistic approach to the literacy of pygmies,
which includes economic, political, health and cultural and human rights concerns. The
Pasifika Education Plan in New Zealand sets targets for the participation of Pasifika
peoples in tertiary education institutions and to increase their attainment of the diplomalevel.11
Adult learners who have been excluded from the cultural norms and practices of formaleducation are usually at a learning disadvantage. UNESCO has been promoting non-
formal education as an effective and equitable alternative to protect the assets andentitlements of the marginalised and excluded groups by addressing the educational
needs with relevant curricula and materials for literacy, numeracy and skills for life.
Furthermore it is an area where adult and continuing education is linked within the wider
context of human development, establishing effective linkages between literacy andsustainable livelihoods.
Inclusive learning is not only about participation and access, but about inclusion in thelearning process and in the acquisition of learning.
Quality learning is experiential
Quality adult learning is embedded in a life context. It recognises that learning is linked
to experience, language, cultural practices, and interest in settings and environmentsoutside organised education and which may include sources such as families and
communities, other institutions and the media.
Adults feel motivated to learn when their learning is mediated through activities that are
related to their daily life situations. Effective learning of adults has very much to do with
making sense of the varied experiences at work, in school, in community activities andsocial movements. By making experiential learning more explicit to adults by using
reflection adults have been shown to experience heightened feelings of self-worth.
Furthermore many of these experiences entail practical judgements which areeducationally significant. Many social and economic problems can be solved through the
means of appropriate transfer of knowledge from informal experience.
There are several ways in which the vast experiential learning activities acquired throughcommunity or family learning and unpaid or informal work can be utilised in enriching
learning settings and recognised through prior learning assessment. Below are anexamples from Brazil, the UK and Mexico.
10 National Reviews from New Zealnd, Switzerland and Germany11 See New Zealand National Review
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The importance of understanding the social context in the training of literacy workers in Brazil
An important component of programmes for developing literacy teaching skills among adult educators has
been the understanding of the social contexts of their work. The way this competency is being factored intothe professional training of adult eduators in Brazil is described below:
The intensive training of adult educators and literacy workers in Brazil deals with a critical andcontextual understanding of reality. Any important component of the programme of developing
literacy teaching skills among community workers is training in the process of reflecting on acommunitys culture. Literacy workers are taught to use materials that are relevant to the contexts of
their learners lives. Educators adapt and construct knowledge by interacting with the communities.
Intensive educator training involves promoting the relationship between education and culture.Educators are trained to develop curriculum content derived from local experience and to apply this to
what is learning . Externally generated materials are used in combination with locally generated
materials.
Source: UIE 2004Enhancing adult basic learning: training educators and unlocking the potential of
distance and open learning.
Introducing literacy skills into work-related areas
In several countries there are action programmes which have developed models of basic skills (literacy,numeracy and languages) into other courses such as aromatheraphy and cooking in order to enable learning
to take place and to support the development of effective models to bring literacy, language and numeracy
provision to learners not accessing primary basic skills provision. The literacy skills taught in suchembedded programmes include: listening, responding to spoken language, speaking to communicate,
engaging in discussion, reading and understanding relevant pieces of texts, comparing text types, and
writing to convey information. Learners are often attracted to courses such as cooking. There are several
examples of how basic literacy skills can be introduced into work-related or vocational area.
Source: UKNational Review
Mexicos Educational Model for Life and Work (MEVyT)
Mexicos Educational Model for Life and Work (MEVyT)
It is modelled on the satisfaction of the basic lerning needs for life, work and citizenship that modernsocieties require.
It is adopts a totally different approach away from knowledge based education to a person-orientededucation with relevant contents, meaningful learning, integration of values and basic skills forimproving the performance of people in different areas of their lives
It breaks with traditional curricula and instead adopts the concept of learning modules . Expect for theimportance of initial literacy and some introductory mathematics and science themes, there is no
sequential requirements.
The around 42 modules on basic education are based around themes such as1. Youth and work
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2. Our Childrens Education3. Parenthood, a shared experience4. My business5. Beware addictions6. Homes without violence7. Democratic values8.
Useful accounts9. Etc.
These modules are based on researches on knowledge and skills requirements, the areas in whichyoung people and adults need to use knowledge and skills, and prior knowledge and skills of people.
Source: National Institute for Adult Education (INEA)Educational Model for Life and Work.
The future of lifelong learning and the creation of learning societies is bound up with the
success people as individuals and groups have in taking out from their experiences,
learning relevant to advancing their overall fulfilment. There is evidence on the growing
interest by Member States in the recognition and validation of education, skills andcompetencies that have been acquired outside the formal system of education and
training. Such programmes have important consequences for promoting learnerachievement and progress. Certifying, formalising and validating informal and on-formal
learning and job experiences have been shown to be a way for young people and adults to
move up in the job and educational careers. Thebest examples are Denmark, Sweden and
Norway, but there are also examples from developing countries such as the Philippinesand South Africa.
Certifying, formalising and validating informal and non-formal learning and job experience
The Realkompetense Project (1999-2002) of Norway
Via the three-year Realkompetense Project (1999-2002) a basis has been developed for establishing anational system for the documentation and validation of non-formal and informal experiences.
Realkompetense is the sum of all competencies that the individual has acquired via the educational system,
paid and unpaid work, organisational activities and family and social life.
The Non-Formal Education Accreditation and Equivalency System (NFE A & E) in the Philippines
The Non-Formal Education Accreditation and Equivalency System (NFE A & E) in the Philippines is a
pioneering programme that:
provides a system for assessing levels of literacy and other nonformal learning achievement coveringbasic and functional education skills and competencies designed to be comparable to the formal school
system
It is flexible learning system because it breaks down traditional barriers or rigid curriculum, time,resources, accessibility, giving learners as much control over what when, where and how they learn
within the constraints of limited resources.
The target learners are 15 years old and above, out-of-school youth and adults who are illiterate orhave completed the basic literacy programme.
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It enables learners to gain reading, writing and numeracy skills to meet their learning goals to improvetheir economic status and function effectively in society.
The five learning strands of the NFE A&E Curriculum Framework are: Communication skills,Problem solving and Critical thinking; Sustainable Use of Resources / Productivity; Development of
Self and a sense of community; expanding ones world vision.
It allows the beneficiaries to take tests at the elementary and secondary level. Successful passers of the test will have access to counselling for advice regarding options and possiblepathways whether to re-enter or return to the formal school system or thy may choose to enter the
world of work.
The National Qualifications Framework in South Africa: the recognition of the adult educators
training
Adult education and Training (ABET) in South Africa integrates literacy with other developmentprocesses at both policy and implementation levels. ABET practitioners are located within a wide
range of sectors, including education, health, gender, labour water, environment, public works, the
prison service and defence. The University of South Africa (UNISA) has recognised in its ABET
programme that its practitioners would benefit from professional recognition of their critical role in
ABET delivery. Recent legislation in South Africa ( the ABET Act of 2000) seeks to provide this
recognition by validating the learning programmes and career paths for adult educators under the
National Qualifications Framework (NQF).Source Dfid, March 2002,Background Briefing.
South Africa is one of the few countries that recognise skills, knowledge and capabilities that theperson may already have, regardless of where those skills have been learnt. The standard is measured
according to the standards set by the National Qualification Framework. The NQF brings together
educational and training as well as skills development. It is a progressive system , as it provides for
flexibility of delivery, portability of credentials and recognition of prior learning.Source: UIE 2003,Draft Synthesis Report.
Conclusion: the issue of a universal measure of quality in
international assessments in adult learning
The issue of international assessments in adult learning has provoked a lot of debate on
the question of whether there can be a universal quality education, especially in such a
multiculturally diverse world as ours. One could argue that even rights and values are
defined and limited by cultural perceptions or that universal rights is essentially aWestern concept and reflects a Western cultural bias. However, it is not enough to
simply reject universal rights, because many coercive, discriminatory practices againstwomen, for example, are being upheld in the name of particularistic cultural values. Theevidence from the practice of adult learning has highlighted that the test of quality
education is neither a question of promoting a universalism nor upholding a particular
culture but rather fighting against coercion and discriminatory practices and putting anend to unacceptable levels of deprivation especially among certain groups such as the
poor, ethnic and linguistic minorities, women and rural people who bear a
disproportionate burden of this deprivation.
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Different approaches need to be included in the universal consensus on quality education.Unfortunately developing countries have been missing in most of the international
assessments on quality learning, because the economic and development indicators do not
match the threshold set by the industrialised countries. However, if developing countries
are to integrate themselves into international assessment system for improving the qualityof their adult learning systems 3 important conditions need to be fulfilled (Adam and
Singh 2004).
1. Since social background plays an important role in learning achievement andprogrammes, measures are needed to overcome educational inequalities.
2. Measures need to reflect improvement in pedagogical and learning culture. Thiswould include, more pedagogical training for adult educators and more emphasis to
be put on their personality development. The organisational culture would need to
include teamwork, peer learning, problem solving, organisational capabilities and
critical reflection and thinking. Educators must, analyse and reconstruct contenttogether, rather than content being prescribed from the top. The new culture of
lifelong learning and teaching, would entail increasing individual and collectiveresponsibility and self-direction by individuals and communities or groups,
networking in study and teaching, co-operation, and providing equal opportunities.
However, even this new culture of learning could be argued as being typical of theWestern culture and values that do not reflect other existing modes of learning and
unlearning and relearning.
3. Measures need to take account of the contextual relevance of key qualifications. Inthe debate on the importance of key qualifications for developing countries, one
needs to be aware that many of the generic definitions of key competencies, in
particular those that are developed in the Northern context, the individual andworkplace dimensions of knowledge economies are slightly overweighing other skills
such as citizen skills and social responsibility skills resulting from the dramatic
chances and challenges relating to poverty, inequalities, violence and environmental
destruction in developing countries. One needs to encourage other skills in order toencourage diversity rather than uniformity. Changes demand that we need to mobilise
problem-solving capabilities of a collective nature rather than of a completely
individual, cognitive and universalistic nature.
4. Measures must take into account lifelong learning as a horizon and an active principlefor reshaping teaching and learning systems, institutions, policies and programmes inall countries, even if priorities and strategies as well as short-term and long-term
goals and expectations to make lifelong learning towards learning societies differ in
different countries.
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References:
Delors, J.et al. (1996)
Learning: The Treasure Within, Report to UNESCO of the International
Commission on Education for the Twenty-first Century. Paris, UNESCO
Dfid, March 2002,Background Briefing.Faure, E et al (1972)
Learning to be: The World Education Today and Tomorrow. Paris, UNESCOOuane, Adama and Singh, Madhu (2004)
Large Scale Assessments and their Impact for Education in the South. In:
Zeitschrift fr international Bildungsforschung und Entwicklungspdagogik.
27.jg.2004, Heft 1. Frankfurt
Oxenham, et al. 2001.
Strengthening Livelihoods with Literacy: Institute for International Cooperation of
the German Adult Education Association, October 2001
SIDAUIE and ABET (2004)
Enhancing Adult Basic Learning: Training Educators and unlocking the potential
of distance and open learning. UNESCO Institute for Education, Hamburg and
the University of South African Press, Pretoria.
UIE (2002)
Institutionalising Lifelong Learning: Creating conducive environments for Adult
Learning in the Asian Context. UNESCO Institute for Education Hamburg
UNESCO Institute for Education (UIE), 1997.The Hamburg Declaration and the Agenda for the Future, Hamburg, UNESCO
Institute for Education.UNESCO Institute for Education (UIE), 2003,
Common Grid for Reporting. Mimeograph. Hamburg, UNESCO Institute for
Education
UIE, 2003
CONFINTEA V Mid-Term Review 2003: Six Years After CONFINTEA V: Status
and Future Prospects of Adult learning, Draft Synthesis of Review Reports
Hamburg, UNESCO Institute for Education.
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