Adult education policy frameworks in Central Asian countries

The importance of developing overarching adult education policy frameworks is growing in Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan. Socio-economic changes in these three countries have led to a high demand for continuous learning, training and retraining of people who view further education as a stepping stone to occupational and educational advancement. Adult education is therefore not only a means of economic development, but also a factor that influences social development and contributes to the health and well-being of individuals.

In 2009, the second Global Report on Adult Learning and Education pointed out that only a few countries and regions had established overarching legal and policy frameworks that clearly defined responsibilities for planning, financing and implementing adult education. The report found that due to a lack of adult education policy frameworks, Central Asian countries were struggling with uncoordinated and fragmented provision of adult education.

Working on developing adult education policy frameworks

The fourth United Nations Sustainable Development Goal calls for states to ‘ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all’. Education systems cannot be sustained if they rely on initial formal education to provide educational opportunities. Lifelong learning informs the approach of the UNESCO Institute for Lifelong Learning (UIL) in working with various countries on developing their adult education policy frameworks.

In cooperation with the German Adult Education Association (DVV International) and the UNESCO Office in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, UIL organized a seminar with education stakeholders from Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan to help these countries to learn from good practice in other countries. The seminar took place in Tashkent in November 2015.

Bibliography

The 2nd Global Report on Adult Learning and Education, which also looks into adult education policy frameworks, is available at the UIL Library and for download.