© UNESCO
Sweden organises an annual conference on adult education, that attracts 600 to 800 participants from municipalities, formal adult education institutions, private providers, folk high schools, trade unions and libraries as well as politicians, etc. The conference was this year organised 19-20 March with a key-note speech followed by 50 seminars over two days, and pinpointed brain research and learning.
In his keynote speech on “Lifelong Learning”, UILs director Arne Carlsen focussed on Sweden’s National Progress Report on Adult Learning and Education 2011, that has recently been sent to UIL as part of the preparations for the Global Report on Adult Learning and Education (GRALE) and as part of CONFINTEA VI follow-up. He stressed that Sweden has one of the highest adult education participation rates in the world, but that there are still many challenges in adapting a system to changing conditions. He pointed to the importance of recognition of non-formal and informal learning, and to the need for monitoring lifelong learning indicators. He elaborated perspectives in relation, on one hand, to new research results of brain research concerning its impact on learning, and, on the other hand, UNESCOs concept of value-based education.
