The State of Adult Education

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. 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