Inquiry into lifelong learning
Posted: 2 November 2008
The inquiry into lifelong learning sponsored by NIACE (the National Institute for Adult and Continuing Education) has produced its first 'Public Value Paper', The Impact of Lifelong Learning on Poverty Reduction. This considers the links of lifelong learning to the reduction of poverty, and is by Ricardo Sabates of London University's Institute of Education.
The study re-analyses some 15 years' worth of research in the field and engages in a meta-analysis of them. Adult education is vital in this particular regard, it suggests, exploring the public value of such learning, not only for the individual but for the family and wider community. The paper concludes that lifelong learning works best when it is part of a broad set of initiatives and responses to the complex challenges people face at various stages in their lives. The other main conclusions emerging are that:
- one key to poverty reduction lies in the impact of learning on employment possibilities
- the gap in financial services and help in accessing public funds for low-income, disadvantaged families can be met in part through education for financial literacy
- adult education brings important benefits for health literacy and numeracy, particularly for the poor
- a large return for children can come from upgrading adult skills
- more investigation is required into the net impact of lifelong learning on poverty reduction and into the 'multiplier effect' of educational policies with other initiative