Evolving Discourses and Practices of

Lifelong Learning: Some issues and

challenges
Carolyn Medel-Anonuevo
 Outline

1. Discourses on LLL
2. Context in the 21st century
3. Operationalization of LLL
4. Key Issues
5. Some challenges
6. UIL work
 1. Discourses on LLL

a. As a common sense principle of

learning throughout life
b. Rooted in tradition/culture
c. As a political discourse
d. As an economic discourse
e. As an educational discourse
 1. Discourses on LLL

b. Rooted in tradition/culture

„Mogo te koro kalan ma

Mogo te kodon kalan ma
Don o don tulo be taa kalanso“
 1. Discourses on LLL

c. As a political discourse

Nyerere- learning about anything

that helps us to understand the
environment we live in.... (1969)

Ho Chi Minh- we have to learn and

work throughout life...
 1. Discourses on LLL

c. As a political discourse

South Africa- all individuals should

have access to lifelong education
and training irrespective of
race,class,gender, creed or age
(African National Congress-1994)
 1. Discourses on LLL

d. As an economic
discourse-
 1. Discourses on LLL

e. As an educational discourse

Evolving discourse from the 70s

to present
 e. Educational Discourses

Faure Report (1972):

Lifelong education as the “master concept for

educational policies .. the lifelong concept covers
all aspects of education, embracing everything in
it; with the whole being more than the sum of its
parts … lifelong education is not an educational
system but the principle in which the over-all
organization of a system is founded.”

“… it is often difficult to conceptualize lifelong

education in its entirety on account of its
comprehensiveness and multiple modalities.”
 e. Educational Discourses
Foundations of Lifelong Education” by
R.H. Dave (1976):
“… formal, non-formal and informal patterns
of learning throughout the life cycle of an
individual for the conscious and
continuous enhancement of the quality of
life, his own and that of society.”
“… it is often difficult to conceptualize
lifelong education in its entirety on
account of its comprehensiveness and
multiple modalities.”
 e. Educational Discourses

OECD (1973)- Recurrent

education: a strategy for LLL

focused on how learning could

respond to the demands of
the market
 e. Educational Discourses

Learning to be , Learning to do

Learning to know,

Learning to live together

“Lifelong Learning is critical for our

survival in the 21st century”
 2. Education Context

>774 million are considered illiterate,

majority are women
>80 million children have no access to
schools
>Irrelevance of schools, less budget
>Young and old are needing new
skills and knowledge (eg cope with
HIV, conflicts)
>Many are vulnerable and excluded
 2. Context of globalization

*Rapid change in technology-> need to

update skills and knowledge
*Different kinds of skills needed across the
globe
*ICTs-->information explosion->how to
deal with information
*Brings people and cultures together ->>
how to live together
* Knowledge based economies
Knowledge Society competition
 3. Operationalization

a. As policy (national and regional)

b. As bridging the formal and non-formal

education

c. As providing learning opportunities for

all
 3. Operationalization

a. As national policy:

*Japan- fundamental law for LLL 1989

*Korea- LLL law in 1999
*Thailand- National education Act 1999

* Setting up of structures: Namibia-

Ministry of Lifelong Learning and Culture
 3. Operationalization
a. As regional policy:
EU Lisbon Strategy: Making the European
Union the most competitive knowledge
society by 2010- lifelong learning is the
key to the attainment of this goal
(Regional strategy with open coordination
among the member states)

Southern African Development Community

(SADC) Technical Committee on Lifelong
Education and Training
 3. Operationalization
b. As bridging formal and non-formal:

*National Qualifications Framework-

Southern Africa
*South Korea´s CREDIT BANK
system
*Philippines Non-formal Education
Accreditation and Equivalency
System
*West Africa´s pasarelle
 3. Operationalization

c. As providing learning opportunities

for all:
*Ensuring access of all those previously
marginalized

*Empowerment of women

* Community learning centers and other

public spaces as venues for
democratizing opportunities
 4. Key Issues

a.Conceptual issue
b.Policy divide
c.Purpose of LLL
d.Coherence of LLL policy
e.Appropriate structure
f. Allocation of resources
 a. Conceptual Issue
Lifelong Education Lifelong Learning

Developing more Retraining and

humane individuals learning new
and communities skills to enable
to adjust to rapid individuals to
change cope and adjust
with the fast
changing
workplace
Focus on
institutions and Agency to
structures individuals
b. Policy Divide Issue
 c. Purpose of LLL

• Nineties discourses- continuation of

tensions between more holistic and more
economistic
• Information -Knowledge society
• Individual Competencies, competition
• LLL for citizenship, for peace, for social
inclusion, for HIV prevention
• Out of school, adults and second
 5. Challenges

Uneveness of Many different

understanding of systems of

?
discourse
education
Clarifying and Integrating

LLL discourses

Economistic vs. Fragmented

humane and way of looking
transformatory at educational
Discourse discourses
divide
 5. Challenge of Policy

Advocacy Elaboration

Implementation
5. Harmonisation

• Integrated
approach (poverty
alleviation)
• Gender approach
• Partnerships
• Creating
environments
 5. Challenges

How does one What are such

build foundation foundational

?
skills for LLL? skills and are
they context
related?

What happens Are

to those who foundational
have had no skills going to
foundational be different in
skills? another
context?
 5. Challenges

Learning taking
place at individual

?
level –largely an
individual project

Promise of
humane
societies and
transformation
 5. Challenges

MDGs

LITERACY ECCE Primary Life Skills LLL

Young andAdults

LWL
NEPAD
 5. Challenges
Valuing agency of individuals as well as transforming societies

• Learning democracy and

citizenship
• Learning gender equality
• Learning to live with other
cultures
. Unlearning stigmatizing
and discriminatory
practices
. Unlearning attitudes and
behavior towards violence
6.UNESCO and UIL
• Education as a basic
right
• EFA, MDGs, UNLD,
UNDESD
• 4 clusters (LLL,
Literacy, Adult
Education and Africa
• CONFINTEA VI and
LIFE