Session Information
23 SES 03 A, European Lifelong Learning and the Challenges of Global Recession: Realities and Prospects for Efficiency, Equity and Cohesion (Part 1)
Symposium, to be continued in 23 SES 04 A
Time:
2009-09-28
14:00-15:30
Room:
HG, HS 28
Chair:
Sheila Riddell
Discussant:
Terri Seddon
Contribution
A tension between two strands in the EU’s lifelong learning policies is commonly noted: employability and competitiveness in the market economy; and social cohesion – sometimes framed as social inclusion, sometimes in terms of social or political citizenship.
Although the market strand, rooted in the fundamental institutions of the original European Economic Community, has always predominated, advocates of wider notions of education have been able to maintain and develop an important, if subsidiary, citizenship/cohesion policy theme. This has often been framed as a residual category: ‘social integration is ... under threat unless it is accompanied by the prospect of employment’ (CEC 1995); ‘lifelong learning supports creativity and innovation and enables full economic and social participation (Council of the EU 2008).
This paper argues that the ‘residual’ nature of education for citizenship and cohesion in EU policy discourse places it at particular risk in the context of a major global recession, since the requirements and feasibility of ‘employability’ as a route to social inclusion are radically challenged. It argues lifelong learning should frame EU citizens and their education more deeply in terms of social and political unity, and common values, rather than merely as economic agents.
Method
Expected Outcomes
References
Commission of the European Communities (CEC) 1995 Teaching and Learning: Towards the Learning Society. Luxembourg: Office for Official Publications of the European Communities. Council of the EU (2008) Delivering lifelong learning for knowledge, creativity and innovation. Brussels.
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