Monday, 18 November 2019
A new report on adult education and lifelong learning which argues that it must be a permanent national necessity, an inseparable aspect of citizenship and is vital to addressing the huge societal divisions and challenges to democracy we currently face, has been welcomed by the University of Nottingham’s Vice-Chancellor.
The report from the Centenary Commission on Adult Education, which includes two University of Nottingham education experts, calls for:
- A national adult education and lifelong learning strategy, with a participation target to reduce the gap between the most and least educationally active.
- A minister with specific responsibility for adult education and lifelong learning to report annually to Parliament on progress.
- Community Learning Accounts, alongside Individual Learning Accounts, to provide funding for informal, community-based learning initiatives led by social groups.
The report follows a dramatic decline in participation in adult education, with funding for adult learning and apprenticeships having fallen by 45 per cent in real terms since 2009-10.
The Centenary Commission – which includes Professor John Holford and Dr Sharon Clancy from the University’s School of Education, has published its findings 100 years since the publication of the landmark 1919 Report on Adult Education by the Ministry of Reconstruction’s adult education committee, which set the template under which adult education, oriented towards building a democratic and tolerant society, flourished throughout most of the 20th century.
Professor Shearer West, Vice-Chancellor at the University, said:
“The Centenary Commission’s report offers a vision for Adult Education to meet the needs of communities and individuals across the country. It recognises how a wide education throughout life contributes to quality of life, the economy and our democracy. It is a call for urgent action for both educational institutions and society, as well as government.
“The University of Nottingham has a long and proud history in adult education as the first British university to set up an adult education department and the first in the world to appoint a Professor of Adult Education in Robert Peers in 1922. It did so in response to the original 1919 Report and most other universities followed our example. I am delighted that two of our colleagues have played a central role in the Centenary Commission: Professor John Holford, Robert Peers Professor of Adult Education, and Dr Sharon Clancy at our School of Education.
“Earlier this year, I committed the University to develop a Civic University Agreement to underscore our active commitment to the city and region we are proud to call home. The recommendations of the Centenary Commission on Adult Education further underline the need for Britain’s universities – and other educational organisations – to deepen the educational contribution to their local communities.”
Dame Helen Ghosh, Master of Balliol College, Oxford, and Chair of the Commission, said:
“There is a national consensus in favour of adult education and lifelong learning. We need the next government to step up to the challenge, and deliver what is, in the words of the 1919 report and today’s report, ‘a permanent national necessity’. In meetings across the country our Commission found a huge appetite for adult education and lifelong learning - we saw evidence of communities being brought together through imaginative educational initiatives; new groups being formed to analyse and discuss the issues of the day, including the climate crisis; and a desire to understand and prepare for the changing world of work, including amongst those in the 'gig economy' for whom provision at present is scant. Our Commission's recommendations would address all these needs.”
An ‘Adult Education 100’ campaign is leading a range of activities to mark the centenary of the 1919 Report, one of which is the Centenary Commission on Adult Education. The Commission’s remit was the same as for the 1919 committee: “To consider the provision for, and possibilities of, Adult Education in Great Britain, and to make recommendations.” The Centenary Commission’s report aims to stimulate a national debate, and new thinking about adult educational policy. The Report of the Centenary Commission on Adult Education is entitled: “A Permanent National Necessity...” Adult Education and Lifelong Learning for 21st Century Britain. It is published on 18th November and available at www.CentenaryCommission.org
Story credits
More information is available from Dr Sharon Clancy in the School of Education, University of Nottingham by email at Sharon.Clancy@nottingham.ac.uk
Notes to editors:
About the University of Nottingham
Ranked 32 in Europe and 16th in the UK by the QS World University Rankings: Europe 2024, the University of Nottingham is a founding member of the Russell Group of research-intensive universities. Studying at the University of Nottingham is a life-changing experience, and we pride ourselves on unlocking the potential of our students. We have a pioneering spirit, expressed in the vision of our founder Sir Jesse Boot, which has seen us lead the way in establishing campuses in China and Malaysia - part of a globally connected network of education, research and industrial engagement.
Nottingham was crowned Sports University of the Year by The Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide 2024 – the third time it has been given the honour since 2018 – and by the Daily Mail University Guide 2024.
The university is among the best universities in the UK for the strength of our research, positioned seventh for research power in the UK according to REF 2021. The birthplace of discoveries such as MRI and ibuprofen, our innovations transform lives and tackle global problems such as sustainable food supplies, ending modern slavery, developing greener transport, and reducing reliance on fossil fuels.
The university is a major employer and industry partner - locally and globally - and our graduates are the second most targeted by the UK's top employers, according to The Graduate Market in 2022 report by High Fliers Research.
We lead the Universities for Nottingham initiative, in partnership with Nottingham Trent University, a pioneering collaboration between the city’s two world-class institutions to improve levels of prosperity, opportunity, sustainability, health and wellbeing for residents in the city and region we are proud to call home.
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