LIFELONG LEARNING: THE NEW EDUCATIONAL PARADIGM FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

The paper examines life-long strategies in international and national scope and opportunities to adopt their priorities in regional strategies for improving level and access to lifelong learning in the Republic of Bulgaria. The issues are discussed from the point of view of lifelong learning's advantages that could be used for providing training in less favored regions considering capacity building for achievement of sustainable development. The study provides evidence that lifelong learning development would have a specific contribution to the strategic goals of increase in educational level and employment rates, promotion of research and development, reducing poverty and uneven development of urban and rural areas through a self-directed learning process providing solutions of the most topical problems concerning low economic development, lack of managerial and marketing skills, and thus contributing to more general points of improvement of living conditions, food and social security, etc.