Lifelong Learning as a Human Right (original) (raw)
Related papers
LIFELONG LEARNING REVISITED: EXPLORING LEARNING, EQUITY , REDRESS, AND ACCESS
In this essay we argue for an African discourse on lifelong learning in South Africa. In so doing we explore the impact of an African discourse on lifelong learning on education policy statements, and how such a discourse plays itself out in issues related to the nature of learning, equity and redress, and access to higher education. Our exploration is located within the context of the African Renaissance and educational discourse. In an African discourse on lifelong learning, we prefer to speak of 'resourceful human beings' which is a more humane metaphor, emphasising the social imperative of such a discourse. This essay explores learning as central to both economic and social cohesion, which suggests that lifelong learning cannot simply be driven by a need to secure economic prosperity but has to focus on the 'capacity of citizens to exercise and enforce democratic rights and participate effectively in decision making, as the National Plan for Higher Education (Ministry of Education 2001:7) indicates. We discuss endeavours towards equity and redress in terms of the creation of a more humane society. We contend that particular groups such as Africans, women, non-traditional learners, students from working-class and rural backgrounds, the disabled and adults are not equitably represented in the higher education system.
Universities as Lifelong Learning Institutions: A New Frontier for Higher Education?
The Promise of Higher Education, 2021
For half a century now, lifelong learning has provided—with more or less intensity - the philosophical and conceptual background in which education policies have been framed (Kejawa, 2017). When Paul Lengrand defined l’éducation permanente (1970), learning was conceived as part of a humanistic vision of the world, intrinsically characterized by fundamental values like human dignity, equal rights and social justice and respect for cultural diversity, as well as a sense of shared responsibility and a commitment to international solidarity. Today, these principles remain fundamental aspects of our common humanity and the enduring ideals of what learning can achieve.
Australian Journal of Human Rights, 2015
The right to education, and specifically higher education, is clearly set out in international law. Higher education is, however, in a state of change as a result of pressures from the increased demand for higher education, globalisation and the impact of new technology (Barber, Donnelly and Rizvi 2013, 1–2). This article asserts that before significant changes to higher education are made, we should reflect on the content of the human rights obligations contained in the international documentation. It seeks to outline the content and scope of the right to higher education in an effort to assist this consideration.
Reconsidering education for all from a lifelong education perspective
Education has changed its character in modern societies; in a life of an individual, education has become more important than ever. At the threshold to knowledge society, education is not a privilege but a social necessity and an obligation. As an overarching concept, national and trans-national (e.g. European) education policies use the concept of lifelong learning. On one hand, this concept promises a firm foundation to a reconsideration of education and education systems; on the other side it seems sometimes vague and contradictory. There is a rainbow of interpretation: it is seen as a tool to make labour force more flexible but also as a threat to humanistic understanding of learning and knowledge. The presentation will try to reflect the on-going discussion on these issues and to put them under a light of future perspectives.
Lifelong Learning Principles and Higher Education Policies
The role of higher education in promoting economic growth and social cohesion has been recognised in multiple international documents, programmes and strategies. Likewise, a number of countries and higher education institutions worldwide have introduced policies that aim at fostering learners’ employability, active citizenship, personal development, knowledge base, competences and capabilities. However, not all these policies have successfully addressed current global trends like the economic downturn, demographic change, the changing nature of the labour market, and pressing social needs. This paper posits that introducing lifelong learning principles to the formulation and implementation of higher education policies may provide more inclusive and comprehensive frameworks for meeting the needs and aspirations of the multiple stakeholders of higher education. Keywords: Higher education; learners; education policy; lifelong learning; learning organisations
Higher education and the promotion of lifelong learning
Studies in Higher Education, 1983
Recent interest in lifelong learning has raised the question of the possible role of universities and colleges in its promotion. Apart from the more obvious changes involving new activities with new students, such as older adults without formal entrance requirements or young people who are not seeking a formal degree, promotion of lifelong learning in institutions of higher education would also require changes in teaching methods with conventional students studying for traditional degrees. The goal of these changes would be that of equipping students with the skills, knowledge, habits and attitudes they would require in order to become lifelong learners.
Lifelong Learning, Participation and Equity
2006
Aims & Scope "Lifelong Learning" has become a central theme in education and community development. Both international and national agencies, governments and educational institutions have adopted the idea of lifelong learning as their major theme for address and attention over the next ten years. They realize that it is only by getting people committed to the idea of education both life-wide and lifelong v xi xv
LIFELONG LEARNING PROVISION IN HIGHER EDUCATION
This paper summarizes key streams in conceptualizing lifelong learning provision inside higher education sector, from one side, and marks main trends in its legal positioning, from the other. Within the framework of Lifelong Learning policy, higher education is recognized its " lifelong dimension " (EC, 2000, p. 27). The metaphor of osmosis is utilized to describe complementarity and openness between the various learning settings in providing learning and education opportunities throughout the lifespan. However, across the scholarship, there are varieties in conceptualizing lifelong learning in the context of tertiary education; as continuing education, recurrent education, vocational, further, professional, etc. Differences in interpreting the concept are most commonly related to educational arrangements on the national levels, and status of lifelong learning inside the whole structure of educational systems. However, generally speaking lifelong dimension in higher education is implemented in two ways: a) lifelong learning as the underpinning principle across the higher education curriculum, that ensures open access and wider opportunities for all students b) lifelong learning implemented through programs of continuing, further, recurrent or professional education, intended for 'non-regular' students.
The Human Rights-Based Approach to Higher Education
Oxford Scholarship Online, 2018
A human right to higher education was included in the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR), which came into force in 1976. Yet the world has changed significantly since it was drafted. State legislation and policies have generally followed a neo-liberal trajectory, shifting the perception of higher education from being a public good to being a commodity. This model has been criticised, particularly because it generally reinforces social inequality. At the same time, attaining higher education has become more important than ever. Higher education is a prerequisite for many jobs, and those who have attained higher education enjoy improved life circumstances. This book seeks to determine whether there is still a place for the human right to higher education in the current international context. In seeking to answer this question, this book compares and contrasts two general theoretical models that are used to frame higher education policy: the market-...
2007
Within the EU4ALL project (ct.eu ) extensive research has been undertaken to detect the impact of legal and political frameworks on the accessibility of lifelong learning (ALL), with a clear focus on higher education in this initial phase. The introduction of appropriate technologies in educational institutions is accompanied and shaped by legal and political concepts, measures and programmes capable of reducing or strengthening existing barriers to the participation in lifelong learning (LLL) for all. International declarations have been analysed as well as European legal and political frameworks relevant for accessible lifelong learning accompanied by research on national level in a sample of EU member states and Australia, Canada and the USA. Main areas of investigation are equality, nondiscrimination and equal opportunities as well as academic laws and corresponding policies and strategies in favour of disabled students at institutional level.