quality adult learning - unesco

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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]
mailto:[email protected]:[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).

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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.