Education policy makers from as far afield as Serbia, Kosovo, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Turkey have descended upon Maynooth this week to attend Ireland’s national adult education organisation AONTAS’s inaugural Lifelong Learning Advocacy Summer School. The Summer School, run in partnership with Maynooth University, takes place this week until Friday, 22nd June.
The Summer School aims to equip attendees with the skills to advocate for adult learners in their respective countries, build an understanding of adult and community education in an Irish context, and to network with other education practitioners.
Speaking ahead of the Summer School, participant Esra Yalcin, who works at the European Agenda for Adult Learning in Turkey, said, “AONTAS’ Summer School is an exciting opportunity to learn best practice skills in advocating for adult education and lifelong learning. Coming from Turkey, and having spent many years working in various education roles, I have encountered many challenges in putting adult education on the agenda. With the current uncertain European climate and in particular the Syrian refugee crisis, the value of adult education and lifelong learning cannot be underestimated.”
I look forward to gaining a unique insight into the Irish adult education landscape over the course of the week to enhance my own skills and networking with my international peers.”
Over the course of the week, attendees will hear from experts in the field of adult education and advocacy, including:
Commenting in advance of the Summer School, Niamh O’Reilly, CEO of AONTAS, said, “Our inaugural lifelong learning and advocacy summer school allows us to share the knowledge of adult education and training in Ireland with international education practitioners, particularly those from more fledgling countries with challenging education systems. We look forward to welcoming all of our participants to Maynooth for the week, and hope they leave with the skills required to advocate for adult education and lifelong learning in their own countries.”
Further information on the Lifelong Learning Advocacy Summer School Summer School can be found here: https://www.aontas.com/events/aontas-lifelong-learning-advocacy-summer-school.