Dmitry Karpievich: Adult Education is the key to solving the country's social and economic problems

On 7-9 July Minsk hosted the VI Festival of Non-Formal education. This time - in the framework of the “Learn to Act” project.

The priority themes of the festival were: national educational policies and inclusion into European context; active citizenship, democracy and participation; demographic change, employment and life skills; social cohesion, equity and equality for sustainable development; quality standards and competences of educators in non-formal education.

The festival was attended by representatives of non-state non-commercial organisations, state institutions, commercial structures, entrepreneurs; state institutions and establishments responsible for the development of educational policies in Belarus; representatives of social partners (non-state organisations, representatives of regional institutions and establishments, employers) interested in cooperation on the development of non-formal education, especially on a regional level; representatives of international organisations; representatives of donor organisations investing/willing to invest in programmes of non-formal education conducted in Belarus.

Dmitry Karpievich, the Chair of Board of the Association for Life-long Education and Enlightenment, the head of the Organizing Committee of the Festival speaks about the situation with non-formal education in Belarus in the interview with the EuroBelarus Information Service.

- Although there is no common understanding of the term "non-formal education", there are a number of criteria: a non-formal education can be understood as any organized learning outside the formal education system which has a goal, frames, and institutional support, i.e. that is organized. The concept of life-long education appeared as a response to the challenges that arise in the society. Now the role of non-formal education is becoming more vibrant and meaningful - the world is constantly and rapidly changing, the changes apply to all areas: professional, personal, social, and the area of civic participation. The basic idea of ​​non-formal education today is that a person should be learning all sorts of competences throughout their lives, but to support this process certain infrastructure is needed, though, of course, self-education is also a part of it.

- This year's festival is the sixth in a row; is it a traditional parade of actors in the field of non-formal education or its theme and activities are constantly changing?

- Festivals take place every two years with the first one in 2006. Initially we saw it as a platform for communication for people to find and establish contacts and exchange experience. On the other hand, from the very first festival it has been very important for us to discuss situations and key trends in the development of non-formal education. In addition, the festival does not focus solely on the situation in Belarus; it has always included representatives of other countries. This year we have 14 countries of Europe and Asia. Of course, festivals are different, because over the 10 years the sphere has been rapidly developing; a lot of positive, interesting, effective practices have appeared. This festival had 11 platforms, about 60 presentations and master classes.

- And what is most topical in non-formal education now?

- If we consider the demand, programs related to vocational training are surely popular. The sphere of third-age education is developing very interestingly and dynamically. Also, the providers of non-formal education among non-governmental organizations are trying to promote the issues relevant for the society, for example, environmental education, education for sustainable development, history courses, courses of the Belarusian language.

I would say that we see a two way process here. On the one hand, demand creates supply; on the other hand, the role of non-formal education is still undervalued by society, by the state and the individual, but it is essential to promote this process, i.e. to form the demand.

We do have interaction with the state – starting from the first festival we have been inviting representatives of the Education Ministry, and members of the corresponding parliamentary committee. Of course, it is important that the officials understand what we are talking about, and for the adult education to be supported at the state level. Of course, in our opinion, the support that we have is not enough; there is still no full understanding of the importance, role and opportunities of non-formal adult education to solve social and economic problems in the capital, cities and regions. Now we have a Manifesto of Adult Learning in the 21st Century, relevant for all the European countries (our Association for Life-long Education and Enlightenment is a member of the European Association for Adult Education). The document recalls that Europe now faces a lot of challenges - from unemployment and migration to the possibility of the EU’s collapse after the renowned Brexit. The authors of the Manifesto believe that the key instrument for addressing these issues is adult education. We also believe that it is important for our country. The spread of non-formal education ideas into the regions is one of the goals and objectives of the festival. Social paradigm is changing now - society is aging; and for society to develop, the state should invest in adult education, whereas our educational system is focused exclusively on children and youth. Of course, this priority should remain; however, it shouldn’t dominate. Adult education should not exclusively be a personal matter of people and employers.

It is clear that the state doesn’t have enough resources, but something could be done. It is education that is an investment with very significant and long-lasting results. Sometimes it’s enough to educate a person, and (s)he will be able to make a lot of things. An old story about fish and fishing rod tells that if you catch a fish for a person you’ll feed this person once; but if you teach a person how to fish, it will provide the person for the whole life. This principle does work in adult education.