Public responsibility for continuing education shaping the adult education system through state financing
Public responsibility for continuing education shaping the adult education system through state financing

Summary/Abstract: The benefits of education for society surpass the advantages that individual citizens draw from their learning opportunities. On the other hand, private demand for education is not nearly as widespread and far-reaching as it might be. Learning that creates social benefits must be broadly defined. It reaches far beyond the curricula in our school and vocational training systems. It encompasses continuing education as the fourth pillar of the education sector, which offers learning opportunities in areas such as citizenship training, remedial and basic education, social and intercultural learning, acquisition of key qualifications, and family education. The high investment potential in this kind of learning is a strong argument in favour of adopting legislation to make it a public responsibility to expand the education sector, facilitate access to learning opportunities for all citizens, and create the necessary instruments for the joint financing of lifelong learning by the State, the economy, and individual citizens. This is all the more urgent in Germany which, according to international data, has fallen behind other countries both in educational spending and in educational participation. After an in-depth examination of these and many other aspects that must be taken into consideration in rethinking the mechanisms suitable for financing adult education and the division of responsibilities in creating, combining, and implementing them, this paper goes on to explore the recommendations developed by the Expert Commission on Financing Lifelong Learning which was set up by the German Ministry of Education and Research.

• Details
• Contents