Challenges and recommendations in Sweden
The biggest challenge for non-formal adult education in Sweden right now is funding. As mentioned before, the changes in the country’s leadership are influencing the allocation of funds to adult education, and as a lot of priorities are yet to be established practitioners in the field have been left in limbo. The EAEA member, the National Council for Adult Education reports that such areas as migrant work and parental involvement have experienced funding cuts.
Sustaining the work of non-formal adult education providers; keeping provision as responsive and accessible as possible while simultaneously demonstrating the significance of such learning opportunities following funding cuts will be challenging. To address this issue, The Swedish National Council of Adult Education is launching several future reports and inquiries. The idea is to examine how adult education initiatives from the Study Associations and folk high schools impact our society – and what we might need in order to face future challenges. In the coming year, the Council will focus on examining the benefits of study circles and how the Study Associations and folk high schools impact different parts of Swedish society.