Lifelong Learning for Sustainable Development-Is Adult Education Left Behind?

Abstract

The adoption of the SDGs in 2015 was welcome as the truly global agenda that should meet the challenges related to people and the planet and ensure sustainable peace and prosperity. For the first time, lifelong learning is adequately incorporated and elaborated as an important part of SDG4. On the other hand, adult education is not even mentioned, except as a peripheral addition to the indicator providing the number of people that should acquire new skills, and in the literacy target. This paper argues the thesis that lifelong learning is adopted as the frame, concept, and learning philosophy, but adult education, within the field of practice and as an inherent part of the implementation of this concept, is highly neglected. The fact that adult education has also "disappeared" from other major international documents and programs influences not only the achievements of the educational goals, but jeopardizes the implementation of all other SDGs. A various aspects of the relations between adult education and sustainable development are analyzed in this paper. The argument is that sustainable development on the local, national, and global level is not possible without acknowledging the intersectoral character of adult education. That requires an adequate place in contemporary policy creation as well as the attention of experts in adult education and sustainability, in order to provide solid and just conditions for achieving the agreed upon goals.