Lifelong learning in liberal adult education, associations and leisure activities

Denmark has a long and historic tradition of liberal adult education and association life. This has helped develop our democracy and cohesion. It has also helped creating a learning culture, which is based on individuals desiring to learn and the co-responsibility for their own learning and personal development.

The Danish society is undergoing great changes at the moment. It is therefore crucial that everyone can keep up with developments in the society and can take an active part in democracy and the community in order to ensure cohesion in society. New knowledge and skills are being acquired in many different settings which are of importance for the personal development of individuals and their opportunities to participate in the labour market and in the society at large.

Liberal adult education and voluntary work within the framework of associations play an important role in the development of both individuals and society. This includes, among other things, folk high schools and liberal adult educational associations offering adult education in the form of evening school, day high schools and study circles etc., or voluntary work in associations in the form of activities for children and young people.

It is the Government's aim to increase the value placed on learning which takes place in liberal adult education and association and leisure activities and to create much better interaction between liberal adult education and learning in association activities and leisure activities and learning in the formal education system and in the workplace. It requires a more systematic effort to make visible and document non-formal and informal learning acquired through liberal adult education and voluntary work etc. This promotes participation in lifelong learning as well.

Not least on this basis, the Government has taken the initiative to promote the interaction between education, liberal adult education and learning in association activities etc. through:

• A new Act on Folk High Schools in 2006 which makes it possible to elect lessons preparing for examinations or leading to qualifications as part of a high school course.
• The introduction of new legislation on the right to competence assessment and recognition of prior learning in adult education and continuing training based on, among other things, the fact that learning in liberal adult education and association activities should also be allowed to be included in the assessment of relevant competences for the purposes of adult education and continuing training.
• The development of documentation tools in cooperation with liberal adult educational organisations and representatives of associations and voluntary organisations which individuals can use to document competences acquired in liberal adult education and association and leisure life activities.
• The introduction of the strategy Fra information til viden - 2006 (From information to knowledge - 2006) in the library sector to actively support the learning of citizens.

This page is part of the publication " Denmark's strategy for lifelong learning "
© The Ministry of Education 2007