© UNESCO
The European Basic Skills Network (ESBN) was created in 2010 with 36 members, representing educational authorities from 25 countries, in order to support the European Commission’s “Working Group for the Implementation of the Action Plan for Adult Learning”. The specific task of EBSN is to contribute to European and national policies and practice for the enhancement of basic skills in the adult population. EBSN is administered by Vox, the Norwegian Agency for Lifelong Learning.
An EBSN task force on producing Policy Briefs (“briefer than briefs”) has already been set up. The Policy Briefs are intended to generate an overview of needs and challenges, evidence-based recommendations, and some benchmarks in order to provide concrete policy advice to the European Commission. A second major thematic strand of the network is the professional development of adult educators in basic education.
UIL has been a member of EBSN since 2010, thus helping to contribute to the European Commission's New Agenda for Adult Learning. The membership of the network is one avenue for UIL to ensure the follow-up of CONFINTEA in the European region, i.e. to help develop the field of adult learning and education.
The next annual meeting in Prague, the Czech Republic, from 30 May to 1 June 2012, will help to mobilize the network members, many of whom are the national coordinators of adult learning in their countries, for the European Regional CONFINTEA VI Follow-up meeting foreseen for next year.
A first annual meeting of EBSN took place in Vaduz, Liechtenstein, in June 2011, developing the management structure and in the discussion of concrete future activities.
