Key bill on adult learning advancing in Ukraine

The adoption of the bill on Adult Learning and Education, which is still pending, is a key focus of advocacy and awareness-raising activities for EAEA's member in Ukraine. If adopted, it will support diverse groups of adults with learning opportunities.

According to the EAEA Ukrainian member, EU and private funding for ALE is sufficient; the opposite is true for funding from public sources at the national and local levels. Overall, it has slightly deteriorated. Current funding sources for adult learning include project funding, programme funding, operating grants/structural funding, as well as donations and other philanthropic funding.

A more positive outlook concerns the involvement of learners and civil society in policymaking: they both have sufficient opportunities to express their views and concerns, which are taken into account in policy-making processes.

"A key target group in coming years will be former soldiers, and veterans of war, who should be supported with learning opportunities."

The adoption of the bill on Adult Education remains key

In Ukraine, the bill on Adult Education has been developed but has not yet become law. On January 12, 2023, the Verkhovna Rada (the Parliament) of Ukraine adopted the bill in the first reading.

In the past year, UAEA conducted an awareness-raising campaign with billboards promoting ALE and the importance of adopting the Law on Adult Learning and Education in Ukraine. The adoption of the bill by the Parliament remains crucial as it will enable the development of accessible learning and education for diverse groups of adults. This is especially important as currently, ALE policies do not promote inclusive and accessible adult education. A key target group in coming years will be former soldiers, and veterans of war, who should be supported with learning opportunities.

Advocacy and awareness-raising on top of the agenda for UAEA

The Ukrainian Adult Education Association took part in several events on the regional level, in particular, its members took part in the Regional Academy of ALE Advocacy in Sarajevo in June 2023. The association was a co-organizer of the Forum on the Issues of Adult Learning and Education in Ukraine, which took place in April 2023 in Kyiv.

“After the first learning experience, I don't understand how I lived without it before.” - Oleksandra Savva, adult learner.