National Lifelong Learning for All Activities Week in China

At the invitation of the Government of China, Mr Arne Carlsen, Director of UIL, visited China for the Opening of China’s National Lifelong Learning for All Activities Week, which took place on 22 October in Wuhan. This year’s national event is the seventh of its kind since 2005. Nationally, the number of cities, districts and counties organising lifelong learning activities week has grown from 10 in 2005 to 215 in 2011. 

In his congratulatory address, Mr Carlsen lauded the progress China has made in building a learning society. He pointed out that the concept of a learning society can apply to a nation as a whole, or to a province, a city or a community, and that a learning society in a state can only be built province by province, city by city, community by community, and family by family. The address expressed hopes that all participants from the provinces and cities commit themselves to making concrete efforts to transform the rhetoric of lifelong learning into real action. In a forum following the Opening Ceremony, Mr Jin Yang, Senior Programme Specialist at UIL, made a presentation on Building Learning Cities as a Strategy for Promoting Lifelong Learning.

Prior to the event, exploring opportunities for UIL to strengthen collaboration with the Chinese authorities, Mr Carlsen held meetings in Beijing with Mr Hao Ping, Vice Minister of Education; Mr Zhu Xinjun, President of the Chinese Adult Education Association; Ms Hao Keming, President of the Chinese Society of Education Development Strategies; Mr Du Yue, the Secretary-General of the National Commission of China for UNESCO, as well as with other senior officials and experts.