Lifelong learning - a way to reduce development gaps between rural and urban areas

Agenda 21 recognizes education in all its forms (including public awareness and training) as an essential means for achieving progress towards sustainable development which will foster the implementation of all chapters of the Agenda. Education is no longer seen as an end in itself but rather as a key instrument for bringing about the changes in knowledge, values, behavior and lifestyles required to achieve sustainability. What all countries in the E. U. share, however, is a common international context of rapidly changing globalised economies, communications and human cultural perspectives, where knowledge is a key resource, and where the need for skilled workforces and active citizens is making increasing demands on education at all levels. Primarily, lifelong learning is expected to deliver competence development and labor market-related qualifications within and outside enterprises as part of human resource development to sustain economic growth. It is also expected to contribute to the maintenance of democratic values and institutions, and to societal and personal development, as well as reducing development gaps between rural and urban areas. Adopting a lifelong learning approach has important implications for national policy-making. Public policy has to create the frameworks legislative, governance, financial, institutional, learning, informational, qualifications and regulatory to motivate adults to engage in structured learning. In addition, this requires collateral policies in related areas such as employment, welfare, rural development and poverty reduction and monitoring and evaluation of policy impact across many ministries and agencies in order to reduce development gaps between rural and urban areas. (C) 2012 Published by Elsevier Ltd. Selection and/or peer review under responsibility of Prof. Dr. Huseyin Uzunboylu