1 / 14

Capacity Building for Educators of Adults: Development, Challenges, and Opportunities

This paper examines the development of capacity for adult/non-formal education in three non-PRSP countries (South Africa, Namibia, Botswana) and explores the challenges and opportunities within the philosophy of Lifelong Learning. It analyzes the impact of globalization on learning, the need for validation of basic learning, and the role of non-formal education in poverty alleviation. The paper also discusses the importance of qualification equivalence and accreditation, the relationship between formal and non-formal systems of education, and the role of educators in adult/non-formal education.

brenton
Download Presentation

Capacity Building for Educators of Adults: Development, Challenges, and Opportunities

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript

  1. CAPACITY BUILDING FOR EDUCATORS OF ADULTSVeronica McKayNorma RommHerman KotzeADEAGABONMarch 2006

  2. AIMS OF PAPER 1 To examine the development of capacity for adult/nonformal education in three non PRSP countries • South Africa • Namibia • Botswana 2 To examine capacity building within the philosophy of Lifelong Learning (LLL)

  3. Impact of globalisation on learning • Globalization and the new emerging economic and social order demand new, more complex competencies. • The poor have acute knowledge needs to cope with globalization. • The poor need opportunities for meeting their basic learning needs, to go beyond basic learning, and to have their knowledge validated.

  4. The paper looks at the extent to which these countries • Global changes mean moving beyond communal validation of knowledge to a more public system of validation • The new knowledge economy & social interactions transcend national borders (as people are compelled to pursue work opportunities) highlighting the need for the validation of basic learning.

  5. Challenges for nonformal education • Challenges for people with low levels of education are exacerbated by eg drought, famine poverty, unemployment and work instability, violence, conflict, environmental degradation, HIV/AIDS • Adult basic education has come to be viewed as a key strategy within the overarching goal of poverty alleviation

  6. Lifelong learning as an organising principle presupposes that nonformal learning • is accredited as being equivalent to a corresponding (formal) qualification. • Receives the same value as formal learning • Requires that learners might access the same benefits and opportunities as learners of the formal system

  7. Why locate basic education/NFE within the NQF? • The perspective of lifelong learning requires articulation (or bridges) between the different levels and different kinds of learning (formal, nonformal and informal). • From education to learning, from time & space bound to lifelong and lifewide education - across a variety of sites and through a variety of modes

  8. “Gone are the days when educators are drawn from the streets” Qualification equivalence and accreditation within the system of non-formal education brings to the fore the need for educators to be sufficiently capacitated to work within the framework of lifelong learning.

  9. The relationship between formal and nonformal systems • There are many practices within the non-formal system of education which could be emulated by the formal system. • The relative freedom and the space for experimentation within the mode of non-formal education has given rise to many methods and processes which can (and have) contributed to and enriched the formal systems of education.

  10. What is defined as an adult educator? • Nonformal education embraces all those whose job function includes helping adults to learn such as: • Literacy, agriculture extension workers, trainers for water and sanitation, trainers in health, nutrition, HIV/ AIDS, and family planning, environmental educators, job skills trainers, trade unionists, worker educators, youth service workers, community organizers, materials developers

  11. Areas of foci • How long are teachers trained, where, and what is involved? • What is involved in “quality assuring” the quality of educator training and delivery? • What conditions of service do educators have? • Have roles and functions of educators become (re)defined?

  12. The scope of the research • What policies support adult education, and what is the relationship between policy and practice? • Examples of reforms to the education system which may facilitate change in practice – including across sectors • What curriculum issues are there? • How are sites of teaching and learning dealt with?

  13. Some findings • There is a need for “mass” training where quality is not compromised • Educator development as an imperative of LLL • Professionalizing adult educators • Other partners and stakeholders can help • Distance education can be used for going to scale • Issues of quality assurance: balance between bureaucratic burden and accountability • Materials and other learner support for educators and learners – cross country sharing • The conditions of service for educators including “workplace”conditions • Policy and practice: developing a culture supportive of adult learning

  14. Thank you …

More Related