Adama Ouane: “Only through adult education can we address the real problems of society.”

Adama Ouane, director of the UNESCO Institute for Lifelong Learning, looks forward in this interview to CONFINTEA VI, the Sixth International Conference on Adult Education, “Living and Learning for a Viable Future – the Power of Adult Learning”, which takes place in Belem (Brazil) May 19-22.

Interview by Cathy Nolan (UNESCO)

What is adult education and why is it important?


Simply put, adult education is education for adulthood, also referred to as education for youth and adults. It is far more than literacy. From 15-plus to the end of our lives – that’s a big chunk of time and a meaningful period of our life when we are engaged in a different form of learning. Beyond formal, compulsory schooling, we need education to learn to play our different roles in life with ease and understanding. Attaining technical skills tends to be the most valued, because it has to do with making a living – learning and earning - but more than ever we know this is not enough. We are not merely producers and consumers. We are citizens, with family and personal lives. Adult education, which we may acquire at home, at work, through the media, confronts real life. Only though adult education can we address the real problems of society – like power sharing, wealth creation, gender and health issues.


The last CONFINTEA took place in 1997. What has changed in those 12 years?

Twelve years ago, adult education was not really at the forefront; it was considered remedial education. We focused more on formal education. We realize now we still have a large number of people left out, and the quality and content of education are not what our times require. In many places alternative delivery, modern approaches to Adult and Lifelong Education (ALE), have been mushrooming, trying to fill the gap left by the mainstream educational system.

Over the years, we have moved our focus from basic education to lifelong learning, from provision to supply and quality, responding to the learning needs of all and fulfilling the demands of each individual learner. Adult education has addressed equity, power sharing, justice, etc., which are the challenges encountered in the tireless pursuit of the right to education for all.

Technology has come in, in a big way, with the internet. We see that people are engaged in various kinds of learning on their own. More than ever, self-direction is essential. Guidance is needed, because people could be learning the wrong thing,

Hasn’t adult education become a major industry?

Adult education can become a commodity, a marketable product, and this is happening particularly through the internet. There is a booming demand and growing offer. This is both an asset and a risk. UNESCO’s attitude is that the state should play a regulatory role, particularly for the most vulnerable groups, to see that learning is not only accessible to those with money, and that it’s quality learning for all. Quality learning is about relevant content, inclusive approaches, democratic and universal values.

What are the main topics on the agenda at CONFINTEA?

We have had a long preparatory process, with 151 national reports produced and submitted by Member States using guidelines developed by the UNESCO Institute of Lifelong Learning. Five regional conferences were organized that stressed key issues, innovations, challenges and recommendations.

There are some common threads – we are living in unprecedented times, we are all talking about crisis, questioning our own way of life, our way of production, our values, our learning systems –all these are at the heart of adult education. What should be the content, the modalities?

We still are confronted with a huge problem of illiteracy with some 774 million illiterate adults. We have to cope with this and build foundations for people to continue learning throughout their lives. We need to equip people with not only life skills but also capacities to go beyond survival, to be critical citizens, to dare, to anticipate.

We have to address issues holistically. There is evidence now that investing in adult education makes it possible not only to increase productivity, but also social cohesion and equilibrium and individual self-esteem.

What positive results are we seeing in ALE around the world?
.
Comprehensive policy reform based on lifelong learning is taking place in many parts of the world. This is giving good results by creating conditions for all to learn - promoting inclusion and participation. We have seen this not only in Europe, but in Namibia, Botswana, South Africa, Uruguay and others. Not to mention the countries already long known for this, like the Nordic countries, Korea and Japan.

And of course where we have this comprehensive policy, funding is tied up with it. Studies tell us that investing in adult education is investing in the future. We have been using that argument only for children’s education, but investing in ALE makes a big difference to not only the life of the individual but also the development of the society. The effects are immediate and not delayed. The question is, why are adult educators failing so far in their advocacy work to convince policy-makers? Examples of benefits of adult learning abound.

We have also seen examples of innovations to tackle gender parity or equality issues - how adult education is being used to create just societies, to include minorities, people living in remote rural areas, indigenous people, prison inmates.

Of course we are looking into the quality of programmes, the assessment of outcomes and systems of recognition, validation of different kinds of learning. This is critically important for adult education. You need mechanisms of accreditation that value learning from experience, not just acquired in formal settings. Such validation systems have been set up in many places, and are promoting policy, helping learners, and creating motivation to learn.

What are you hoping this conference will achieve?

If the international community strongly asserts that adult learning is a worthwhile investment to help build a good society, and if we can place this now at the heart of our educational policy, to treat adult education, literacy and non-formal education as valuable and not just as a poor relative in our educational decisions – then I think we will make big headway.

We have already prepared a draft outcome document – a framework for action – sent to Member States, which makes sound recommendations based on the national reports and regional conferences.

We have failed so far to get the attention of policy makers and decision makers on the holistic dimension of adult education. If this time it can ring the bell we will have done good business.

• Author(s):UNESCOPRESS
• 01-05-2009