Introduction
In the current European context, creating conditions for lifelong education and lifelong learning for all citizens is expected. A society whose key attributes are increasingly knowledge, understanding and information requires high expertise. And at least quality professional preparation for as many people as possible for the open labour market. Responsibility for education lies with the state, employers, and the citizens themselves. Citizens are called upon to actively participate in the process of lifelong education and learning, both in connection with work tasks and also with other tasks in their lives.
The educational needs of different adult target groups are satisfied through activities in professional, cultural, interest-based and civic education for adults. Activities of educational institutions (state, public, private institutions; schools, workplaces, educational centres and the like) should, according to European documents (Reding, 2002), aim at creating a simple and transparent framework:
- assessment of qualifications and competencies;
- formulating common criteria and rules for determining the quality of education;
- formulating unified principles for assessing formal, non-formal and informal education;
- creating information counselling and advisory services focused on lifelong support and guidance for people (through education and training).
The trend in adult education policy unmistakably follows plans to build the infrastructure of European society, as witnessed by the document Presidency conclusion. Lisbon European Council, 2000. At the foundations of European society are encoded knowledge, understanding, information; economic reforms; social reforms (that is, modernization of the social welfare system); and modernization of the education system.
Globalization Trends in Education Policy
With progressing information technology, the above-mentioned trends began to apply as a globalization approach that concerns all areas of production, consumption and movement from labour and capital toward trade and that is always organized on a broad global scale. Connected to this is the building of a 'network society' (angl. 'network society'), which transcends regional and national borders and where transnational networks gain a key position (Rinne, 2000).
Networks and changing relationships, together with communication, shape people’s conduct and decision-making even at the individual level—in the economic, political, cultural and social spheres of life (Castells, 1997, 1998). Capital, knowledge, competencies and people’s skills seem to have no 'home' country, observes R. Rinne (2000, 2002). He further notes that national school (and educational) systems face globalization pressures in simple issues such as education structure, educational content, syllabi and teaching methods.
Crucial aspects reflecting globalization trends in a specific country’s education policy were stated by R. Rinne as follows (2000, pp. 138–139):
- selection of education in a free market of educational organizations and activities, competition among individuals and schools;
- autonomy of schools and educational institutions and organizations;
- diversification and stratification of the school system;
- privatization in the system of implementing education, including financing;
- deregulation and decentralization in the education system, growing regional and specific requirements of schools;
- managerialism in education administration;
- economic rationalism in the education system;
- focus on effective educational outcomes and valuing their usefulness.
Each country, however, has its specific experiences, traditions and systems and ways of education. Therefore, networking that supports European integration and transnational and international cooperation in education and the dissemination of information is now supported. The starting point is the broad conviction that lifelong learning and adult education now play a key role in the life of individuals and society.
Globalization Trends in Education Policy in Slovakia
Globalization trends in education policy in Slovakia are reflected in the publication Current state in adult education in Slovakia and adult education in Europe (Engelshoven et al., 1995). In the Slovak social context, globalization trends in adult education are present.
In the publication, adult education is defined in connection with (p. 22):
- permanent development of personality;
- adaptation of personality to changing life conditions (cultural and social);
- improving people in performing diverse social roles, as well as preparing for new social roles in the professional, social and civic dimensions of life;
- creating conditions for performing social roles;
- development of educational attainment.
In our view, 'permanent personality development' is essentially lifelong learning for people. From an individual psychology perspective, gains from this process are 'made visible' in the level of socialization, individualization, adaptation (adjustment) and in managing the tasks and conditions of an individual’s life. This is in accordance with individual dispositions, which may or may not develop through lifelong learning of personality. But a person has the ability to improve and change their psyche and behaviour (Sohr, 1997, p. 41).
We can state that a person changes primarily through learning and through education. And so, the hidden potential of a person’s personality appears in their communication, in interpersonal and interpersonal relations, and in their actions.
Personality in the 'Field of Globalization'
As mentioned elsewhere, adult education is about respecting human dignity, freedom and the rights of the individual above all (Engelshoven et al., 1995). This view may invite doubt. The rule of respecting dignity, freedom and individual rights in adult education does not always coincide with the philosophy and reality of everyday life. The strong influence of the social environment, characterized by competition and rivalry, profit-seeking, and high performance in many life domains cannot be prevented. Conditions of individual education are changing.
People do not have the same starting line either in access to employment or in access to education. Equality of opportunity and of educational opportunities may thus become more of a proclaimed goal of education policy than the fulfilment of adult education needs. Some adults want to learn but cannot or do not know how to overcome obstacles (objective and subjective) that prevent them from learning. We base this on findings from two international projects: Attracting New Target Groups in Adult Education (2002, 2004) and Same and Unequal Opportunities in Adult Education in Europe (2002), in which solution teams from the Department of Andragogy of the Faculty of Arts of Comenius University in Bratislava participated significantly. They found that lifelong learning may remain for many adults from disadvantaged groups as only an individual and barely realizable wish—and as a requirement society expects them to meet, though they are not in a position to fulfill it.
Education as an Individual and Societal Development Priority
We will attempt to formulate the general goals of lifelong education so that both individual and societal levels are taken into account. Let us focus on the individual level—the psychological aspect of lifelong education (Machalová, 2004, 2006, 2013, 2014).
Education can be understood as an important means of realizing life-developmental tasks. Education should be based on individuals’ dispositions—their capacities as well as their own limitations in personality development.
Content of education is determined by the need to develop these competencies of people:
- their ability to socialise
professionally (in preparation for a profession and during its performance); socio-psychologically (in social relationships, toward other people and social groups); culturally (in identifying with cultural patterns, norms and traditions of the community); - their ability to adapt (adjust)
in the social environment (managing life tasks and shaping their life in both work and non-work domains).
Education can teach people to orient themselves in large amounts of information and in the complexity, contradictions and conflicts occurring in social environments, in interpersonal and interpersonal relations, and in conflicting demands of various social roles.
The meaning of adult education lies in developing cognitive and emotional ability to evaluate reality so that people can identify and implement constructive approaches to solving work, social and personal problems.
A significant document that influenced education policy in the European space is the well-known professional document Memorandum on Lifelong Learning (adopted in 2000). At the beginning (p. 3), it states that 'Europe has undeniably entered the age of knowledge with corresponding effects on culture, the economy and social life. The style of education and work is changing dramatically. This means that the individual must adapt to change, but established approaches to work must also change.'
Lifelong learning in society is closely connected to the successful transformation of the current economy and life system of society, in favour of a knowledge-based economy and society. In the aforementioned document, the dominant idea is that lifelong learning becomes a principle determining how education in its whole spectrum will be created and provided.
Lifelong learning is seen as targeted, continuous educational activity whose purpose is to acquire, innovate, expand and deepen people’s competencies (and the knowledge and skills contained in them). From the perspective of social interest, two equally important educational goals are highlighted in lifelong learning: 1. promotion of active citizenship; 2. promotion of employability and employment of people.
The platform for embedding lifelong learning into the education policies of individual countries is formed by key messages in the Memorandum on Lifelong Learning (2000).
In our understanding, the key messages are a set of general long-term educational goals and also the 'philosophy' of lifelong learning.
From the document we select the following information (without commentary and in our own stylistic formulation):
1. New Basic Competencies for All
The aim of the message is 'guaranteeing universal and continuous access to education in order to acquire and renew competencies needed to maintain one’s position in a knowledge-based society' (p. 11).
The core competencies are defined as:
- digital literacy,
- foreign languages,
- social competence (self-confidence, purposefulness, willingness to take risks),
- autonomy,
- entrepreneurial competencies,
- learning how to learn,
- adapting to change,
- using information flows.
2. More Investments in Human Resources
The aim of the message is 'to visibly raise the level of investment in human resources as Europe’s most important value, that is, people' (p. 12).
It is stated that the current level of investment in this direction is too low. It is necessary to consider what is understood as investment in human resources. It does not always relate only to capital investments. Lifelong learning is also an investment.
Greater motivation is required from individuals. Investments in human resources are linked with co-responsibility and clearly defined rules of co-financing lifelong learning (p. 13).
3. Innovations in Education
The aim of the message is 'to develop effective teaching and learning methods in the context of continuous lifelong and broad-spectrum education' (p. 14).
Attention is emphasised on the learner as user, to whom the widest possible offer of information and communication technology and full-spectrum educational activities should be provided.
4. Recognition of Learning Outcomes
The aim of the message is 'to significantly improve the way participation in education, educational processes and their results are understood and evaluated, especially in informal and non-institutional environments' (p. 15).
It is stated that in an integrated Europe, an open labour market and free movement of citizens for study and training require competencies that are transferable within the European Union. Innovation is needed in certification of results of informal education. Prospectively, the introduction of reliable systems for recognizing educational qualifications in general is being considered.
5. New Approach to Professional Guidance and Counselling
The aim of the message is 'to ensure that everyone has easy access to high-quality information and counselling about educational opportunities across all of Europe throughout life' (p. 17).
A new approach to professional guidance is emphasized as continuous service for everyone. The strict separation between educational counselling and professional staffing counselling should be overcome. The user of counselling services enters the centre of attention. The task of counsellors is to accompany individuals in different situations, provide them with important information, help and guide citizens toward self-help and development.
6. Bringing Education Closer to Home
The aim of the message is 'providing opportunities for lifelong learning as close as possible to learners, in their own communities, and supporting them as much as possible through information and communication technologies' (p. 19).
Emphasis is placed on mobilising resources of regional and local authorities. These authorities provide the infrastructure for lifelong learning. Education is to be brought closer to learners themselves. Lifelong learning also revitalises local and regional life.
The issue of lifelong learning within the European Union was first concretized in the Socrates I and Socrates II programmes—the Second phase of the European Communities’ education programme 2000–2006. The programmes supported educational projects connected with the idea of forming a 'Europe of knowledge'.
Four main goals were addressed:
- strengthening the European dimension in education,
- support for language learning in the European Union,
- support for cooperation on education projects,
- introducing innovations in education.
In the Socrates programme, the Grundtvig subprogramme was of great importance for adult education, focused on supporting European cooperation in lifelong education, but primarily focused on adult education. Within the Socrates programme and the Grundtvig subprogramme, projects of European significance were implemented in organizations and institutions in Slovakia as well (Machalová, 2000; Machalová-Prusáková, 2002, 2004).
Author: Prof. PhDr. Mária Machalová, CSc.
Conclusion
What we wish to convey to readers at the end of the contribution is beyond the framework of specialist or scientific expression. It is something personal. However, we are convinced that science is not, in the end, dry and arid, because it is an art of searching with everything that belongs to art. Therefore, we would like to pass on the wisdom of the path of knowledge expressed metaphorically in the sentences of Jozefína Šimončíková (2004), which she gave us and which we gratefully pass on:
“People are different, their thoughts are different, actions are different, and there are different solutions to those actions. Do not let your mind be clouded: all spoken thoughts have their own meanings, they have their own statements. Understand those thoughts as something that signals what is informative. Information has its own character. Every piece of information is intended for analysis, evaluation and proper uncovering of its motivation. Never make hasty decisions and trust the prompting of your own heart. Only then will your thoughts be correct and true. Uncover what is not yet uncovered, sense what has been thought through, uncover what has been spoken, and derive conclusions both from your own thoughts and from the thoughts of other beings that in any way cross your paths. You will see what all you discover and what you learn by doing so. Only then will you reach the core of things and begin to understand the incomprehensible. Believe in your conviction and this will bring you to the height of knowledge and understanding of the meaning of human beingness and ultimately the meaning of being as such. After all, that is what this is about for you.”
Author: Prof. PhDr. Mária Machalová, CSc.
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