Adult education students from Hamburg University discover the resources in UIL’s library and documentation centre

About 50 students from Hamburg University’s adult education department visited UIL on 17 and 18 November to learn more about the Institute’s work, the role of adult education in the UNESCO context and the possibilities of drawing on the Institute’s extensive bibliographic resources for their own academic research.

By recounting the Institute’s history, from its foundation in post-war Germany to its current status as a fully-fledged UNESCO Category I institute, UIL staff illustrated how UNESCO sees education as a key to human, social and economic development and how these core values are the fundamental basis for the Institute’s programmes today in literacy, non-formal education and adult learning. An introduction to UNESCO’s role in shaping global education policy was followed by an intensive debate, in which it transpired that UNESCO’s mission “Building peace in the minds of men and women” is not only relevant for today’s adult education students but also an inspiration for them to pursue an international career in this field.

The students were also introduced to UIL’s library with its large collection of materials on lifelong learning, adult learning and literacy from all over the world and invited to use these facilities for their academic work.