The S a e o Adul Educa ion
Ted Fleming
_________________________________
In oduc ion
In he no el The Plague (Camus, 1960) he ci y o O an is a aged by a plague.
Ta ou had jus e lec ed on how each one o us “has he plague wi hin” (p. 207). I is
wea ying o be plague-s icken, he says, and his is why “e e ybody in he wo ld o-
day looks so i ed; e e yone is mo e o less sick o plague” (p. 207).
All I main ain is ha on his ea h he e a e pes ilences and he e a e ic ims,
and i ’s up o us, so a as possible, no o join o ces wi h he pes ilences.
(Camus, 1960, p. 207)
I see pes ilences, as I hink Camus does, as a me apho o wha is happening in he
wo ld. I is di icul o make any commen abou ou wo ld wi hou e e ing o I aq,
he mis ea men o p isone s, he mo i a ion o he Uni ed S a es in being he e
especially ha ing ound no weapons o mass des uc ion. The e a e pes ilences nea e
home oo – pe sis en po e y, scandals and co up ion.
Wha has his o do wi h adul educa ion? I has o do wi h he ole o adul educa ion
in a democ a ic socie y; wi h wha we mean by adul lea ning and wha we each as
adul educa o s. How o be an ac i e and c i ical ci izen has o be lea ned.
I wan o look a he s a e o adul educa ion in I eland. I am sugges ing ha he s a e
he e means bo h he condi ion in which we now ind adul educa ion and he ole o
he I ish S a e in adul educa ion. I will b ie ly ou line
• some ecen de elopmen s in adul educa ion;
• make some c i ical commen s on he s a e o adul educa ion;
• look a he links be ween he S a e and he economy and ci il socie y ha
ha e impo an implica ions o adul educa ion.
Adul Educa ion: Recen De elopmen s
Following he appoin men o Adul Educa ion O ganise s a he end o he 1970s
adul educa ion began o slowly g ow and de elop. The Mu phy Repo (Mu phy,
1973), he Kenny Repo (Kenny, 1983) and mo e ecen ly he G een Pape (DES,
1998) and Whi e Pape (DES, 2000) all se a mo e sys ema ic de elopmen al pa h o
adul educa ion. The de elopmen o AONTAS and NALA as na ional o ganisa ions
con ibu ed signi ican ly o he way adul educa ion has de eloped.
The Go e nmen is commi ed o a majo in es men in adul educa ion as pa o he
Na ional De elopmen Plan 2000 o 2006 (Go e nmen o I eland, 1999). People’s
skills, knowledge and unde s anding equi e egula upda ing and lea ning h oughou
li e is necessa y o ensu e employabili y, pe sonal ul illmen , inclusion in socie y and
ac i e ci izenship. The impo ance o Li elong Lea ning is now es ablished. This
Go e nmen he o ic i s well wi h adul educa o s. O so i seems.
Funding o li e acy and communi y educa ion has been g owing since he 1980s bu
i s ill emains a modes esponse in he con ex o he o al educa ion budge . The
appoin men o Adul Li e acy O ganise s and o Communi y Educa ion Facili a o s
a e welcome and impo an de elopmen s. They will go some way owa d p o iding a
signi ican ca alys o he u he de elopmen o li e acy and communi y educa ion
ha has been sys ema ically neglec ed. Any cu backs in hese a eas will be seen as
p omises b oken and damage will be done by he on again/o again unding unde he
p e ence ha he e is a sho all in public inances.
Second chance educa ion has a numbe o impo an and inno a i e p og ammes:
Voca ional T aining Oppo uni ies Scheme (VTOS), he Educa ion Equali y Ini ia i e
(EEI), unding o Senio T a elle T aining Cen es, he Adul Educa ion Guidance
Ini ia i e and Back o Educa ion Ini ia i e.
The BTEI, launched in 2002, has been he mos impo an de elopmen in mo e
ecen yea s and is uni e sally seen as an inno a i e p og amme ha assis s adul s
who le school ea ly, and o he s, o e u n o educa ion wi h subsidized ees. I allows
lea ne s combine wo k and amily wi h a e u n o lea ning while e aining Social
Wel a e en i lemen s. I s p io i y is he one million adul s wi h less han uppe second
le el educa ion.
Adul educa ion has g adually mo ed om being a ield in which he e we e ew
acili ies o whe e he e a e a numbe o adul educa ion cen es. I is di icul o o e
emphasise he impo ance o ha ing clea ly de ined places in which adul s can lea n.
I one wishes o go o school, p ima y o seconda y, o go o uni e si y, he e a e
iden i iable places whe e hese oppo uni ies can be ound. Un o una ely, i is s ill
di icul o iden i y he place o which one can go o ind ones li elong lea ning
oppo uni ies. The school is he e; he social wel a e o ice is he e; whe e is he adul
educa ion cen e? Dedica ed adul educa ion cen es would s uc u ally and clea ly
iden i y he impo ance o adul educa ion in ou socie y.
Since i s launch in 1999 wen y- i e Adul Guidance Se ices ha e begun o deli e
guidance o hose pa icipa ing in Adul and Communi y Educa ion, as well as hose
in Li e acy. They a e esponsible o helping hose who ha e e u ned o educa ion as
adul s o o e come obs acles hey may encoun e .
The Communi y Employmen Scheme has allowed a la ge numbe o people engage
in aining and adul educa ion cou ses o hei own choice. The Pa ne ship
companies wi h Educa ion Coo dina o s ha e been a majo con ibu o o he
de elopmen o adul educa ion in e en ions in disad an aged a eas.
The e has also been he de elopmen o a body o esea ch in he ield gene a ing
knowledge and epo s abou such opics as ea ly school lea ing, u al de elopmen ,
asylum seeke s, access o highe educa ion, men’s g oups, e c. The e is now a body o
esea ch and expe ienced esea che s con ibu ing o ou unde s anding o he ield
and suppo ing public policy.
Uni e si ies and colleges now ha e g adua es in adul educa ion om ce i ica e o
doc o al deg ee and his is an impo an indica o o he p o essional de elopmen o
he ield. A he en y le el o highe educa ion access cou ses, ha now deli e
access, a e changing he age p o ile o he s uden body and he e is a commi men o
b ing he ma u e s uden numbe s o 15%. This is admi edly a e y posi i e and
pa ial p esen a ion o some ecen de elopmen s. I wan ed o pain his posi i e
pic u e as a backd op o some issues and p oblems ha emain o be add essed.
The S a e o Adul Educa ion
P og ess appea s o be ema kable mos ly because de elopmen s a ed om a e y
low base. Tha VTOS su i ed o almos i een yea s is wo h no ing. The mo e
impo an ques ion is whe he VTOS (in a coun y wi h his o ically low le els o
unemploymen ) will con inue o ind a place in he new de elopmen s o will i be le
o wi he on he ine so o speak?
The new kid on he block – BTEI – has bu eauc a ic and adminis a i e demands ha
end o abso b oo much ime and ene gy a deli e y le el. Repo ing p ocedu es and
o m illing a e o e ly s uc u ed and one ous and he e is uncla i y abou he sys ems
o d awing down unding. The e is a conce n wi h adminis a i e and bu eauc a ic
aspec s o he p og amme ha seem o ha e li le o do wi h imp o ing he expe ience
o s uden s and mo e o do wi h sa is ying an insa iable bu eauc a ic sys em.
Síle De Vale a, Minis e o S a e o Educa ion and Science a he ecen Aon as
Communi y Educa ion Con e ence explained how i is no su icien o adul
educa o s seeking unding o asse he wo hwhile na u e o he p oposed
p og amme;
he e needs o be accoun abili y o ha money and an end esul , no jus a
p ocess. I is becoming inc easingly ob ious ha , i educa ion sec o s and
ini ia i es wi hin hem a e o con inue o a ac and g ow hei unding,
ou comes mus be documen ed in e ms o he objec i es achie ed and he
conc e e gains o he pa icipan s. Tha means ha high quali y and de ailed
pa icipan da a ha e o be p oduced a he s a o he p og amme, …and a
he inish. Funding o a p ojec canno be solely jus i ied on he wo hiness o
he clien g oup.
The e is compe i ion o sca ce esou ces no only in adul educa ion bu be ween
p ima y, seconda y and highe educa ion, he Minis e con inues. In o de o access
unds, he agencies and g oups seeking unding need o ha e pe suasi e cases backed
by s ong e idence. Ac i i y o i s own sake is no enough. This sounds ue as many
e alua ions o p ojec s and p og ammes emphasise he posi i e na u e o he
expe ience and a ely measu e he ex en o which a s uden achie ed he goal o he
p og amme, e.g. lea ned o ead o w i e o go a job, e c.
This sounds eminen ly sensible un il he appalling idea dawns ha he essence o
compe i ion is ha he e a e winne s and lose s. The powe ul, he a icula e, he
lea ned win compe i ions. We mus ake se iously he ecen s a emen by he Minis e
o Jus ice, Equali y and Law Re o m ha "a dynamic libe al economy like ou s
demands lexibili y and inequali y in some espec s o unc ion" (C owley, 2004).
This inequali y p o ides incen i es, he con inues. The implica ion is ha hose
disad an aged and unable o ake ad an age o educa ion he i s ime ound mus
now compe e o a second chance and hei disad an age is an incen i e o compe e.
A wo hwhile expe ience is no enough and one suspec s ha good educa ional
ou comes may also no be enough o sa is y he unding c i e ia o such a S a e.
Li elong lea ning is he man a o his e sion o adul educa ion.
As a coun e posi ion li elong lea ning mus be clea ly es ablished as a igh . We
know enough abou he way ad an age and weal h in ou socie y a e dis ibu ed and
ep oduced h ough he educa ion sys em o con inue o campaign o he igh o
li elong lea ning o all. Li elong lea ning needs o be eclaimed om he unc ional,
he ins umen al, he economic and he onedimensional o mean a igh o lea n all
ha i is possible o lea n.
Adul s dese e he e y bes eaching and he mos highly quali ied eache s.
Teaching adul s is di e en o eaching child en. Teaching on he basis o ones
in ui ion o expe ience may p oduce some wonde ul eache s bu bo h in ui ion and
expe ience may also lead one as ay. Communi y Educa ion Facili a o s and Li e acy
acili a o s a e engaging in hei own aining p og amme. The inabili y o he S a e o
acknowledge quali ica ions o wo king wi h adul s is li le sho o neglec ul.
A en ion needs o be gi en o he need o a ained p o essional g oup o adul
educa o s b inging wi h hem hei expe ience and in ui ions as well as being in ouch
wi h he ideas, concep s, adi ions and skills o hei chosen ield.
The mos impo an ask o he S a e is o implemen he ecommenda ions ou lined
in he Whi e Pape especially he p oposal o es ablish Local Adul Lea ning Boa ds.
Adul Educa ion and he S a e
In discussing he ela ionship be ween he S a e and adul educa ion he e a e wo
conce ns. Fi s ly, local go e nmen is being es uc u ed. Secondly, he e is he
ela ionship be ween he S a e and he economy. Bo h impac on adul educa ion in
di e en ways.
The S a e and Ci il Socie y
The a i al o pa ne ship companies as key playe s in he educa ion sys em has
he alded a shi in he balance o powe a local le el. The absence o elec ed local
ep esen a i es in Pa ne ship companies allied o he s ong ep esen a ion om
communi y g oups has al e ed he dynamic be ween he bo om-up philosophy o
communi y de elopmen and he op-down model o Go e nmen . S ong communi y
in ol emen in he design and deli e y o local p ojec s and se ices is al e ing he
link be ween local go e nmen and he communi y, be ween he go e nmen and he
go e ned. In a ecen e iew o a numbe o INTEGRA p ojec s such a de elopmen
is highligh ed (Fleming & Mu phy, 2003, p. 39). In add essing he EU d i en demand
o in eg a ion o se ices;
The ask is o c ea e a s uc u e in which bo h he op-down o
go e nmen /s a e and he bo om-up o local de elopmen can coo dina e hei
e o s, esou ces and asks. I his implies a comple e es uc u ing o local
go e nmen and i s emi , hen he ask is a leas named as ha . The no so
hidden agenda o p ojec s…is a adical e o m o local go e nmen .
Many p ojec s in communi ies a e o ging a new and as ye unde ined in e ace
be ween he S a e and he communi y, a es uc u ing o he ela ionship be ween he
S a e and ci il socie y. I migh be oppo une o adul educa ion as a ield o explo e
he possibili ies o linking wi h Coun y De elopmen Boa ds as s uc u es ha would
also suppo and encou age adul educa ion. I is impo an ha adul educa ion does
no see i sel as ied exclusi ely o one agency (VEC) bu as pa o a new es uc u ed
local go e nmen in e es ed in he deli e y o an in eg a ed se ice.
The S a e and he Economy
In looking a he ela ionship be ween adul educa ion and he S a e he e is a
dilemma. On he one hand he S a e is esponsible o mos adul educa ion unding.
On he o he he e is a his o y o adul educa ion esiding in ci il socie y, in ha pa
o he communi y whe e he amily and olun a y o ganisa ions a e ound. The S a e
has pa icula di icul y ac ing in he in e es s o his communi y o ci il socie y
because, some would say, i has been seduced, maybe co up ed, by he economy o
ac in i s in e es s. In his way he endency o he S a e is o suppo a ision o
li elong lea ning and adul educa ion ha sus ains he economy and alues lea ning
ha in ol es job skills and upskilling. In ac he Go e nmen se s as a p io i y he
lea ning ha suppo s economic de elopmen . The e is he o ic o social inclusion and
equali y bu ha oo has an economic in en . The e is a con adic ion be ween he
inequali y he sys em needs (acco ding o he Minis e o Jus ice) and he objec i e o
social cohesion o social jus ice.
I we we e o ope a e on he basis ha we suppo he ull ange o lea ning ha is
possible o adul s and espond o adul s in hei complex en i e y we would look o
lea ning ha is no me ely o economic po en ial. Wha is he e o e and abo e he
economic? Wha kinds o lea nings a e possible and usually missing? The e a e he
legi ima e conce ns ha he S a e i sel ough o ha e, i.e. he common good, jus ice,
ca e, and he exe cise o powe in he in e es s o all i s ci izens. Secondly, he e is
ci il socie y o ha sec o o socie y ha conce ns i sel wi h amily, communi y and
olun a y o ganiza ions and is he locus o he po en ial expansion o democ acy
(Cohen & A a o, 1992, p. ii). Adul educa ion can conce n i sel wi h he s a e by
p omo ing second chance, ci izen educa ion and equali y. Adul educa ion can also
conce n i sel wi h he economy by eaching job skills, upskilling and indeed
unc ional li e acy. Howe e , adul educa ion in ci il socie y conce ns i sel wi h
lea ning o amily, communi y and social in ol emen s. Abo e all i conce ns i sel
wi h inc easing he po en ial o democ a ic in e ac ions and making he sys em wo ld
mo e democ a ically accoun able. Un o una ely, he e is con lic be ween he sys em
wo ld (s a e and economy) and ci il socie y. Many adul educa o s ope a e a he
uncom o able in e ace be ween he sys em wo ld and he communi y.
I is no easy o ensu e ha quali ica ions and s anda dized amewo ks, o example,
do no become in o med by sys em impe a i es alone bu a e also in o med by
educa ional impe a i es. In o he wo ds quali y assu ance is no jus an adminis a i e
o bu eauc a ic demand bu should also make sense on educa ional g ounds. I is no
su p ising ha i is hese e y lea nings ha he S a e inds uncom o able,
ques ioning o hei posi ion and c i ical o hei ac ions. O cou se he S a e will no
each ci izens o ask eally c i ical ques ions abou powe in socie y, i will no each
people o p o es abou injus ices o c i ique o ansg ess.

Wha I am p oposing is he kind o adul educa ion ha speaks o people’s highes
aspi a ions; ha aims a eaching he ull po en ial o wha i is o be an adul and
opens he possibili y ha adul s will be able o engage in he mos signi ican kind o
lea ning possible. Wha I am p oposing is agains seeing adul s me ely as wo ke s,
agains seeing ci izens only as consume s and clien s; agains he idea ha hospi al
wai ing lis s a e he only choice o a highly de eloped Eu opean na ion. I ques ions
he ela ionship be ween business and poli icians and is able o see why i is no he
legi ima e business o he economic sec o o und poli ical pa ies. I ques ions and
in e oga es he Ame ican in asion o I aq awa e o he complex ange o poli ical,
ideological and economic dimensions o hese ac ions. This lea ning ques ions why
ci il socie y is he loca ion o so much iolence and eaches how o ake ac ion
agains his si ua ion.
Adul educa o s need he bes suppo , aining, educa ion and quali ica ions so ha
he passion and commi men o a be e communi y and socie y can be uelled wi h
ideas and knowledge and he skills equi ed o b ing abou his goal o e e yone.
Adul educa ion a i s bes helps o c ea e spaces in which adul s can discuss he kind
o socie y in which we ind ou sel es; he kind o socie y we wan o c ea e and lea n
he skills equi ed o b ing abou a socie y ha is mo e jus , mo e ai and whe e he
s a e and he economy a e subjec o democ a ic accoun abili y.
We a e capable o d eaming o a di e en wo ld in which he e migh be
jus ice, ca e, eedom and an end o he iola ions. This lea ning is social,
poli ical, c i ical and seeks o change sys ems and ins i u ions ha a e now
ope a ed in he in e es s o he ew so ha hey ope a e in he in e es s o all
(Fleming, 1998).
I would help o ensu e ha we do no join o ces wi h wha Camus called he
pes ilences:
Really i ’s oo damn silly li ing in and o he plague. O cou se a man should
igh o he ic ims, bu , i he ceases ca ing o any hing ou side ha , wha ’s
he use o his igh ing? (Camus, 1960, p. 209)
Ted Fleming is Senio Lec u e in he Depa men o Adul and Communi y
Educa ion a NUI Maynoo h.
Re e ences
Camus, A. (1960). The Plague. London: Penguin.
Cohen, J., & A a o, A. (1992). Ci il Socie y and Poli ical Theo y. Camb idge, Mass.:
MIT P ess.
C owley, N. (2004, May 7). Equali y is cen al o social cohesion, he economy and
g ea e democ acy. The I ish Times, p. 16.
Depa men o Educa ion and Science, (1998). G een Pape on Adul Educa ion:
Adul Educa ion in an E a o Li elong Lea ning. Dublin: S a ione y O ice.
Depa men o Educa ion and Science, (2000). Lea ning o Li e: Whi e Pape on
Adul Educa ion. Dublin: S a ione y O ice.
Fleming, T. (1998). The ole o adul educa ion in I eland. Ins i u e o Guidance
Counsello s: Jou nal, 22, pp. 58-61.
Go e nmen o I eland, (1999). Na ional De elopmen Plan 2000-2006. Dublin:
S a ione y O ice.
Kenny, I. (1983). Repo o he Commission on Adul Educa ion. Dublin: S a ione y
O ice.
Mo gan, M., Hickey, B., & Kellaghan, T. (1997). In e na ional Adul Li e acy Su ey:
Resul s o I eland. Dublin: S a ione y O ice.
Mu phy, C. (1973). Adul Educa ion in I eland: A Repo o a Commi ee appoin ed
by heMinis e o Educa ion. Dublin: S a ione y O ice.
Mu phy, M. & Fleming, T. (2003). Pa ne s in Pa icipa ion: in eg a ed app oaches o
widening access in highe educa ion. Eu opean Jou nal o Educa ion, 38(1)
pp. 25-40.