engleski

Adult Literacy and Globalisation:The Issues and Challenges for Adult Education

In recent years the concept of globalization has been attracting increasing attention in a broad range of disciplines. Globalisation is most often used to describe a process of change. The development of literacy is a complex, long-term, interactive and global process which cannot be observed outside the social context. Rapid, continuous and consistent changes pose a constant challenge to new educational needs, adult education, as well as literacy. This paper aims to contribute to the debate on the interaction between adult literacy and globalisation from a theoretical, practical and adult education policy perspective. The first section of the paper explores the societal and historical circumstances in which literacy and globalisation developed. Particular attention is paid to mutual relationships in the development of literacy and the society. In the process, the links between the development of technology and literacy, the relations between literacy and the social system, as well as the interdependence of the development of literacy and social change are emphasized. This section sets out to summarize some theoretical controversies in the understanding and definition of these concepts in the past and presently. The second section of the paper analyses the main indicators of social change, which are often associated with globalisation. In this view, these indicators are globalisation itself and, at the same time, they reinforce the globalisation process. The economic, political and social consequences of the globalisation process on adult literacy are described. The third section seeks to examine globalization in the context of some of the major challenges to adult education in the post-Communist countries of Central and Eastern Europe, with a special emphasis on Croatia. Intensification of adult education and adult literacy are of particular importance in post-Communist countries in which transition must be carried out by the working adult population. The fourth section brings to the fore the significance of the role of policy and programs of international organizations and NGOs as an issue which is central to adult literacy provision. Finally, the paper concludes that significant improvement of literacy and the ability successfully to adapt to constant changes in the sphere of work and everyday life is possible if individuals acknowledge the value of life-long learning and the organizers and promoters of adult education programs become more flexible in their approach.

Adult literacy, Globalisation, Adult education, Adult education policy, Post-Communist countries

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