This paper looks at the context in which preparations are under way for CONFINTEA VI, the next UNESCO International Conference on Adult Education. The last CONFINTEA was in 1997, and ever since, a series of international conferences and initiatives dealing with adult and continuing, non-formal and out-of-school education, literacy and basic…

This contribution suggests that if we are serious about adult education in the context of poverty eradication we require some shifts away from neo-liberal assumptions and values. Women and/in the informal economy should become the central focus, and livelihood studies would better allow us to understand the complex daily struggle for food and the…

Analysis of African migrations can help to understand prehistoric, historical, ancient modern and contemporaneous migrations. Movements of populations were and continue to be so intense that, for some analysts, they constitute one of the dominant trends of the history and destiny of the very old continent. African and non-African states, whether…

The objective of this paper is to highlight the role of adult education as a tool in addressing labour migration issues, specifically those concerning the protection of migrant workers' rights and the transformation of the impact of migration into positive holistic developmental gains. The view of labour migration as a means to forge the economic…

Lifelong learning for all is a key priority for the International Council for Adult Education and should be for national governments across the world. In order to make this a reality, policies need to be developed based on the concept of education as a human right. The policy framework in Ireland is based on three key principles, Equality,…

There are nearly one billion adults who cannot read and write, according to UNESCO statistics. Most of these are people living in extreme poverty, almost two-thirds are women, and nearly one in five is a young person aged between 15 and 24. The Global Campaign for Education (GCE) believes that there are five compelling practical reasons for…

In early 2009, Education International conducted a study amongst its member organisations on education in correctional settings in their respective countries. Findings reveal that education in correctional settings and the conditions of teachers working in them vary greatly between regions. Generally speaking, in most regions, but specifically in…

The Institute for Integrated Rural Development in the Maharashtra State of India seeks to break the cycle of poverty through sustainable rural development. It works closely with rural women on health and nutrition education and in other community partnerships based on horizontal structures. (SK)

This is a report of the third meeting of the Mediterranean Comparative Education Society (MESCE) that took place in Malta in May 2008. The full programme can be accessed at: http://www.educ.um.edu.mt/mesce/cprogramme.html. The conference was attended by around 130 people from different countries in the Mediterranean and beyond but concentrated,…

The final documents adopted at CONFINTEA V in 1997 set out a variety of issues and challenges for the future development of adult education worldwide. The forthcoming CONFINTEA VI conference, due in 2009, will mark another milestone and provide an opportunity for the stocktaking of success stories and unresolved challenges, and for the development…

The adult basic education program of the University of Natal (South Africa), in conjunction with a rural development agency, is intended to train literacy teachers and develop English-as-a-Second-Language teaching materials. One implication was that what may have worked at the village level needs reconceptualization for large-scale adaptation. (SK)

The rapid economic development in some regions of China over the past couple of decades has created disparities within the nation and has raised various social issues. To reduce these disparities and resolve these issues, the Chinese government has called for the creation of a more harmonious society through encouraging lifelong learning, learning…

Within Ethiopia's overall development strategy, the Integrated Women's Empowerment Programme (IWEP) aims to develop, test and implement a comprehensive nationwide approach to empower women and their households in selected areas of all regions/national states of Ethiopia. The programme provides functional literacy education and livelihood skills…

This article discusses the 7th World Assembly of the International Council of Adult Education. It also presents a workshop proposal on Environment, Ecology and Sustainable Development, based mainly on the Treaty of Environmental Education for Sustainable Societies and Global Responsibility. The proposal emphasizes on an inclusive, permanent and…

In March 2006, Premier Wen Jiabao acknowledged that the situation in the Chinese countryside is desperate and claimed new resources would be devoted to healthcare and education. This announcement should have pleased architects of the Chinese "learning initiative" who are building learning cities and villages. The authors describe why…