Adult education debate in House of Lords Monday, October 18, 2010 - 17:47

Baroness Margaret Sharp of Guildford, a senior Liberal Democrat, asked "Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the wider benefits of adult education; and what steps they are taking to support and encourage institutions which seek to promote lifelong learning."

Alongside other organisations committed to lifelong learning, NIACE encouraged members of the House of Lords to contribute to the debate in order to ensure that whatever the results of today's Comprehensive Spending Review, the government is in no doubt about the importance of adult education.

Baroness Sharp, said

"My Lords, I am stimulated to initiate this debate by the publication this time last year of Learning Through Life, a report commissioned by the National Institute of Adult Continuing Education, with the aim of taking a forward look at the future requirements of and for adult education. I see this debate as a chance for this House to take a look at the same topic."

It's rare for adult education to get sustained time on the floor of the House...this kind of visibility is an important way of promoting the wider benefits of learning in civil society. All those concerned with the future of lifelong learning should continue writing to their MPs...The more visible we make the case for adult learning, the harder it will become for policy and decision makes to ignore it.

Alastair Thomson, Principal Policy Officer at NIACE

Baroness Hayter of Kentish Town, said:

"In the report, Learning Through Life, to which the noble Baroness referred, Tom Schuller and David Watson start from a premise that we should all endorse-that the right to learn throughout life is a human right. Yet our current system of lifelong learning has failed to respond to the major demographic challenges of an ageing society and to the variety of employment patterns as young people take longer to settle into their jobs and older people take longer to leave theirs."

Baroness Garden of Frognal (speaking for the Government), said:

"My noble friend Lady Sharp referred to NIACE. I pay tribute to that body, which has performed an amazing service to the country since 1921. Recent NIACE research showed amazing results for elderly people in care homes whose physical and mental health showed marked improvements when they had opportunities to learn. The quality of their life improved as they engaged on new and meaningful activities in their later years. They became more independent and less reliant on carers and medication-a real win-win situation."

The debate also covered unionlearn, the Workers' Educational Association (WEA), Ruskin, the Open University (OU), the Women's Institute (WI), local authorities, the University of the Third Age (U3A) colleges, universities and the role of churches. It also covered the issue of English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL).

Alastair Thomson, Principal Policy Officer at NIACE, said:

"It's rare for adult education to get sustained time on the floor of the House and even though it won't change the Spending Review's outcomes, this kind of visibility is an important way of promoting the wider benefits of learning in civil society. All those concerned with the future of lifelong learning should continue writing to their MPs, AMs and councillors. The more visible we make the case for adult learning, the harder it will become for policy and decision makes to ignore it."

Members of the public who are concerned about the future of adult education can also sign the ‘Save Adult Education' petition.