Adult education for a changing Europe

Abstract

It is very difficult to define adult education. Indeed it has been used for various reasons ranging from ways of liberating people from the 'social gutter', to the preparation of a more skilled work force. The first chapter goes in details and tries to explain the various concepts that embrace this particular field of education. Every country organizes its educational activities for adult individuals. Chapter two explores gradually several of these programmes, dispersed throughout Europe, including the few-months old project initiated in Malta. Some Adult Education activities found within the Scandinavian region are the first to be discussed, followed by other projects found in. central Europe namely, in France, Germany, and in Italy. The penultimate chapter inquires about the Council of Europe project number 9 'Adult Education and Community Development'. Through this project surfaced very important guide-lines that can increase significantly the chances of the successes of adult education programmes. Outstanding results are surely to emerge if international efforts are concerted, as is seen from this particular project. Suggestions to improve Adult Education for a 'European Citizenship Education' in view of Europe's eventual integration in 1992, are proposed in the last chapter. These ideas are the results of a questionnaire sent in most European countries to adult education organizations working on a national level. Some of the respondents are even engaged directly with projects carried out by the Council of Europe.