| EXECUTIVE
SUMMARY |
| In February
1998, Mr Brian Wilson MP, Minister of State at The
Scottish Office, set up a Working Group to provide advice
on the long-term future of community education. The
Working Group's membership, shown in the Appendix,
provided broad coverage of the fields to which community
education is relevant rather than being limited to its
particular interests. |
| Its remit
was: |
| |
| "To consider a national strategy for
community based adult education, youth work and
educational support for community development in the
light of Government priorities in relation to social
exclusion and lifelong learning and advise Ministers on
future arrangements. The Group will work alongside the
CoSLA Community Education Task Group which is considering
a range of issues facing local authority community
education provision." |
| |
| The Working
Group met on 6 occasions and considered papers from its
members as well as from the Department. It did not take
external evidence. |
| |
| Vision |
| Our vision for Scotland is of a dynamic
learning society. A democratic and socially just society
should enable all of its citizens, in particular those
who are socially excluded, to develop their potential to
the full and to have the capacity, individually and
collectively, to meet the challenge of change. The
learning society will provide an active and informed
citizenship. |
| Community education is a key contributor to
lifelong learning and plays a significant part in
combating social exclusion. Through its commitment to
learning as an agent for change, it supports the Scottish
people to improve personal, community, social and
economic well-being. Primarily community education is
more a way of working than a sector of education. Its
unique contribution is to create learning opportunities
within and for communities. |
| Community based learning opportunities for
all ages are as important to the realisation of our
vision as schools, colleges and universities. The whole
of the education system, other public services and the
voluntary and private sectors require to collaborate to
realise it. |
| The capacity of individuals and groups of
all ages to participate in developing their own learning
is crucial to improving their quality of life. Through
learning, people can come to make a real contribution to
their own communities and participate in local and
national democratic processes. Through learning, people
can build the confidence and capacity to tackle wider
social and economic issues, such as health or community
safety. Skills can be acquired at many levels which are
applicable in any walk of life. Sometimes these are
essential skills, such as literacy or basic life
management, which those who have benefited most from the
formal education system take for granted. Without them,
social exclusion is much more likely. With them, people
can increase the opportunities for moving into further
and higher education and into employment. Through them,
local people can develop productive partnerships with
other agencies relating to a wide range of social,
economic and health as well as educational needs. |
| For both individuals and communities, the
results of community education can be tangible and
lasting. That is what makes it a subject of critical
national importance. |
| |
| Central Ideas |
| Its thorough
and searching discussions led the Group to clarify 4 key
ideas which shaped its overall recommendations. These
were: |
| 1. The
Government is developing policies, particularly for
social inclusion and lifelong learning but also more
generally in support of active citizenship, which require
a new dynamism in community based learning. 2. The implementation of a wide range
of policies requires effective community support and
Government recognition that coherence among policies and
approaches which impact on communities is a
pre-requisite.
3. The ways of working that community
education has established and which are capable of
considerable further development have a powerful
relevance to key policies and their implementation.
4. A major transformation of attitudes
and practice is required, both among people with a
full-time commitment to community education and those for
whom it is, or should be, a minor but vital
consideration. There is, however, a strong enough base on
which to build in order to achieve the required goals.
|
| There has
been a long-term confusion between community education as
a way of working and community education as an amalgam of
the 3 fields noted in the Group's remit. The way forward
will be to focus on the way of working, seeing community
education's purposes as being to promote personal and
social development, to build community capacity and
invest, and secure investment, in community learning. For
both individuals and communities, the results will be
tangible and lasting. That is what makes community
education a subject of critical national importance. |
The particular
contribution of the community education approach is
its primary focus on the use of educational methods
to develop skills, knowledge and capacity in
community contexts.
The focus is on
motivation and confidence, personal and group
effectiveness, widening access to formal learning
institutions and involvement in civic life.
The aim is to develop
the capacity of individuals and groups of all ages
and, through their actions, the capacity of
communities, to improve their quality of life.
Central to this is their ability to participate in
democratic processes.
The benefits accrue in
many policy fields, such as social care or urban
regeneration; community education's experience of
working in partnership will help other agencies with
their endeavours.
The skills and
understanding which are developed by participants are
transferable and the benefits to the community are
tangible; both can be subject to assessment. The
groundwork has been done by past practice of
community education, but it is current government
policy which will enable community learning to grow.
|
| |
| Conclusion |
| The Working
Group believes that Government policies for lifelong
learning and social inclusion and the growing consensus
on the need to promote active citizenship, call for and
require a major contribution from community education, as
conceived by the Group. This will require a widespread
understanding of the changes the Group is proposing, and
a committed effort from those responsible to develop it,
deploying resources appropriately and making best use of
partnerships. |
| The Group's
recommendations focus on community education but
necessarily go beyond it. In some contexts, community
education will only contribute effectively to the
development of community learning if the wider context is
supportive. |
| The
promotion of the Group's conception of community
education should encourage the key fields of interest, at
national and local authority and voluntary organisation
levels, to take on the practical implications and the
developmental steps required. It will be essential to
convey the message that community education is not a
"territorial" concept but a pervasive approach
to education. |
| While
voluntary organisations draw their support from several
sources, local government remains the main single channel
of funding for community education. Achieving continuity
and appropriate levels of funding now demand a high
priority in order to achieve the vision set out by the
Group. |
| The Group
has maintained links with the CoSLA Task Group on
Community Education and believes that there is extensive
common ground between its interim report and the key
themes developed here. The Group believes that both
documents merit close scrutiny by interested parties and
that continuing co-operation between the Scottish Office
and CoSLA will help to create a sound basis for
development. |
| A much
clearer view of national priorities for community
education is required than has previously been available,
and this has to be followed through with targets for
community education's contribution to key policy areas. |
| National
organisations must work together to create an environment
in which strategic development at local levels can grow
and be sustainable. Locally, it should include the
democratic participation of learners. At all levels there
must be continuing co-operation, good information and a
shared commitment to put the learner first. |
| While the
Group's purpose was not to deliver detailed advice on the
implications of its vision, it explored these ideas in
sufficient depth to be confident that its
recommendations, while radical are realistic. They will
be of great importance for the implementation of
Government policy. A summary of the recommendations
follows overleaf. |
