Lifelong Learning in the South: Critical Issues and Opportunities for Adult Education

A report in the Sida Studies series. A critical review of international development initiatives and policy recommendations as to adult education and lifelong learning. The present gap between the North and the South could be overcome and a great potential for poverty reduction and for social and human development could be realised, given that current initiatives are reorientated. Different local experiences around the world are illustrated. The report is a revision of the report Lifelong Learning, New Education Division Documents No. 14, published in May 2003, (2726en). This report is also available in Spanish: Aprendizaje a lo Largo de Todo la Vida (2726es). Download Lifelong Learning in the South Critical Issues and Opportunities for Adult Education.
Lifelong Learning in the South Critical Issues and Opportunities for Adult Education, ROSA MARÍA TORRES.
Preface
This is a revised version of a study on the status and current trends in Adult Basic Education in Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean: Lifelong Learning, A new momentum and a new opportunity for Adult Basic Learning and Education (ABLE) in the South (New Education Division Documents No. 14), commissioned by Sida’s Education Division, and published by Sida’s Department for Democracy and Social Development, May 2003, in both English and Spanish.
The study included: a literature review of nearly 1000 documents in several languages, in print, video, audio, and on the web; an electronic survey with nearly 100 key respondents throughout the world (see list of respondents in Annex 10); personal interviews and a few field visits in Africa, Asia, Europe and Latin America and the Caribbean; a five-week (23 May–30 June, 2002) bilingual (English-Spanish) on-line forum on the topic, with over 300 participants from all over the world2; and a collection of “inspiring experiences”, most of them mentioned by survey respondents and a few of them described in Appendix 1 “A mosaic of experiences”.
This revised version is based upon the same material and findings – the difference between the versions lies in the focus, structure and presentation. Many of the details relating to the literature review and the survey are not included in this revised version and the Appendices differ. A few modifications have been introduced in the text, including the mention of some recent developments and a few additional references in the final bibliography.
This shorter version is adapted for the readers who wish to focus on the arguments, issues and proposals brought forward. The issues brought into focus in this edited version are above all: the elaboration and discussion of some key concepts related to education and to the overall Lifelong Learning framework, critical issues related to the state of the art and trends of learning and basic education in the South, the roles and performance of international agencies and international co-operation, and the widening gap between the North and the South mediated by such international players and co-operation.
Executive Summary - Conceptual framework
Lifelong Learning is activated today as the key organizing principle for education and training systems, and for the building of the “knowledge society” of the 21st century. There is an overall shift in focus from education to learning and from lifelong education to lifelong learning.
This study focuses on adult basic learning needs and adult basic education in the South, within a systemic and holistic approach to education and learning, and with a Human Development perspective. Literacy is viewed as part of basic education, not in isolation, and basic education is understood in a broad sense, far beyond literacy and numeracy. Learning is emphasized over education as the key organizing category and within a lifelong learning framework. Broadly defined, this paper deals with the issue of Basic Learning Needs of Adults for Human Development in the South.
We introduce the notion of Adult Basic Learning and Education (ABLE) – as different from Adult Basic Education (ABE) – to stress the importance of learning both within and beyond educational provision: learning in the family, in the community, at work, with friends, learning through the mass media, libraries, traditional and modern technologies, learning by observing, by doing, by working, by teaching, by participating.
The term “adult” is used here as an all-embracing category that includes youth, adults, and the elderly, thus stressing the meaning and value of lifelong learning, across the life span. We maintain that all people, irrespective of age, gender and of the country and zone where they live, have a right to learn and to continue learning and must thus be considered learners and part of the “learning-age population” for basic education/training/learning purposes.
The term South is preferred to that of “developing countries”, while acknowledging the many problems of these and other designations (i.e. “Third World”, “low- and middle-income countries”, “periphery”, “aidreceiving countries”, “partner countries”, etc.). The very notion of “development” is today blurred and distant in most countries labeled such by the international community, in a world context where poverty and inequality continue to grow.3 We keep the term “developing” as a reminder that the goal continues to be (social, economic, human) development and progress, and that education continues to be, more than ever, decisive for such progress.
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