Challenges and recommendations in Portugal
One of the main challenges that adult education organisations are facing nowadays in Portugal is lack of steady and solid funding. Irregular and insufficient funding can affect the capacity of adult education institutions, weakening their outreach and ability to engage the adult population in learning.
The rate of adult participation in all forms of learning is another challenge that remains a focus in Portugal. There is a need to engage non-traditional students in learning and widen the spectrum of outreach from education providers, ensuring the inclusiveness and responsiveness of education regardless of learners’ age, nationality, or socioeconomic background.
Thus, a concise and cohesive national educational strategy, which would consider all social groups, is a must. Hopefully, the new National Plan for Adult Literacy will set foundations for the development of a broader action plan in adult education.