‘Adult education in danger’

May 20 2008 by Our Correspondent, Huddersfield Daily Examiner

DO readers know that the Government is carrying out a consultation that is likely to lead to further cutbacks in adult education; ie, day and evening classes? Ironically May 17 to 23 is Adult Learners’ Week, which celebrates all forms of adult learning.

But the Government’s consultation paper, Informal Adult Learning, Shaping the Way Ahead, from universities and skills minister John Denham is widely suspected to be a fig leaf behind which the Government plans to carry out the cuts anyway.

All provision of adult education in Huddersfield, Yorkshire and surrounding counties is massively threatened. Alan Tuckett, director of the National Institute of Adult Continuing Education, recently told the Times Education Supplement that traditional evening classes will be “close to disappearing” within five years if current Government policy on continuing education continues.

The impact on quality of life would be heavy for many people throughout the country.

I’m an adult learner who has had enormous personal benefits from adult education. I want to encourage people to make personal responses to the consultation or to join our campaign – run by volunteer learners – against what the Government is trying to do.

The consultation lumps all forms of adult learning without exams under the heading “informal adult learning” , even though most evening classes are as formal as being at school. But to Mr Denham such learning is a “1970s model”, overtaken by the “self-directed learning” online and voluntary groups such as the National Trust.

The paper even suggests that Googling or watching the Discovery Channel is as effective as going to a class and says that learning from home is good because it saves CO2!

I believe that being in a class with other people helps you learn, whether it is pottery, Portuguese or photography.

I was off work sick for many years and going to evening classes was a huge part of my recovery. There are thousands of other people with similar stories to tell, of how they learned new skills that gave them careers, or found life-long friends, husbands and wives.

There’s still time – just – for everyone who cares about adult education to write to John Denham at DIUS, London SW1, newspapers, councillors and MPs to raise the issue. If we make enough fuss we can defeat the Government and force it to find the relatively small sum to keep classes going. If, like me, you value adult education please do consider writing a letter, by the closing date of June 12.

The consultation paper is called Informal Adult Learning and you can see/download it at www.adultlearningconsultation.org.uk

You can also visit the Save Adult Education campaign website, run by past and present students, and sign a letter there in favour of adult education: www.saveadulteducation.co.uk

Nigel Pollitt

London