Developments: New master plan for adult education
EAEA’s member, the Slovenian Institute for Adult Education (SAEA) has been active in policy making in the last year. They prepared a proposal with the Expert Council for Adult Education that the Ministry for Education adopted in 2019. The proposal includes:
- Starting points for preparing validated programs in adult education
- Guidelines for the implementation of counselling activities in adult education carried out as a public service
Additionally, a new programme to validate the Slovene language as a second language and one for the asylum seekers was initiated. There is also a proposal for a new Master Plan in the field of adult education for the period 2021-2030, being prepared by nine ministries. The Master Plan should proceed for approval by the end of 2020.
Overall, the situation of adult education in the last year has slightly improved. The funding situation of adult education has stayed the same. While the adult education sector in Slovenia has been slightly affected by the pandemic, the work of SAEA has not been significantly affected by it.
Slovenia implements European policy recommendations
In Slovenia there are clear policies and strategies for the implementation of Upskilling Pathways and some new initiatives to promote the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) emerged during the last year. The SDGs play an important role in the 2021-2030 Master Plan. The initiatives on the SDGs are cross-cutting and include circular economy and sustainable development as targets. SAEA believes that the involvement of adult learning and education providers is crucial to successfully implement the SDGs across Slovenia.
The European Pillar of Social Rights (EPSR) has been implemented in some areas, mainly in regard to basic abilities and key competencies of adults with an emphasis on vulnerable target groups (unemployed, low-educated employees, the elderly, young adults who have dropped out of school and early school leavers). SAEA has not been involved in a civil society consultation process but believes that the EPSR can play an important role in promoting new national and regional policies and frameworks. One of the ESPR initiatives provides free programs for vulnerable parts of the population and aims at participation rates above 50%. This includes access to information, counselling and basic competence programs. More funding for the adult education sector would enhance the visibility and access to these programs.