What’s happening in adult education?
Adult education has just come through one of the most significant periods of development in its history. The publication of the White Paper on Adult Education, Learning for Life, 2000 set the scene for the development of a holistic adult education service, and earmarked specific resources for it.
The investment of resources in the National Adult Literacy Programme, the Back to Education Initiative, the Adult Education Guidance Initiative and the Community Education Facilitators has already increased participation in, and demand for, accessible learning opportunities for adults.
Ireland now has a policy framework within which lifelong learning has a chance of becoming a reality. However, six years on from the publication of the White Paper, many of its key recommendations have not yet been implemented, and the 2006 Budget paid scant attention to adult education. Much remains to be done in terms of creating a permanent, mainstream adult education sector and in allocating significant resources to fund it. AONTAS hopes to see the necessary levels of investment allocated to adult education under the next National Development Plan (2007-2013), and is currently spearheading a campaign to put adult education back on the national policy agenda.
AONTAS believes that national policy objectives, both social and economic, can be achieved, in large part, through investment in adult education. Huge progress has been made in the adult education sector over the last decade. What we need now is an expansion of the existing successful programmes, development of new programmes and services, and a proper structural framework to reflect our changed environment.
For further information on what's happening in adult education visit the policy section of our website.
