This article captures the involvement of international organisations that have played active roles in Adult education. These bodies are either governmental or non-governmental organisations.
Introduction
There is also the categorisation between those bodies that place Adult Education as their only objectives, those bodies of education as part of their major functions, and those that put very little educational content in their operations. Read more similar posts on our education page of the site.
These bodies were set up by the government, by the government agency, by a group of individuals, or by international organisations that have taken responsibility for the establishment and funding of adult education programs.
The broad classification of the international organisation, according to Townsend (1981), includes:
1. GLOBAL ORGANIZATIONS
Non-governmental organizations
- With adult education as their exclusive concern
- In which adult education forms an important aspect of their work.
Inter-governmental organizations
- With adult education as an important point of their work
- With some interest in adult education
Trusts and charitable institutions
2. REGIONAL (CONTINENTAL) ORGANIZATIONS
Non-governmental organizations
- With adult education as their exclusive concern
- With some interest in adult education
Inter-governmental organizations
1. GLOBAL ORGANIZATIONS
Non-governmental organizations
- Global non-governmental organisations with adult education as their exclusive concern include:
International Council for Correspondence Education
International Federation of Workers’ Educational Associations
International Congress of University Adult Education
International Council for Adult Education
International Council for Correspondence Education
The main objectives of this council include the following:
- Promoting knowledge and improving correspondence education throughout the world.
- Exchanging information concerning the growth and organisation of correspondence education
- Undertaking research in correspondence education throughout the world.
International Federation of Workers’ Educational Association
The association was founded in 1947, and its main objective is the promotion of co-operation between it and the national bodies that have responsibilities for workers’ education.
The IFWEA promotes staff development training programs through various strategies such as the exchange of information, publications, house services, summer schools, and conferences.
International Congress of University Adult Education
This congress was founded in 19,60 and its objectives include the followinPromotinging communication and cooperation between adult education trainees in colleges of education and universities throughout the world.
- Performing consultative roles with UNESCO
- organising international conferences
- discussing matters of mutual concern among adult educators in tertiary institutions
- organising regional meetings and seminars for its members; and
- publishing adult education journals quarterly and occasional papers on adult education curricula for the university.
- Non-governmental organisations in which adult education forms an important part of their work.
Some of the international non-governmental organisations in which adult education constitutes a significant part of their work include:
Boy SScoutsWorld Bureau
International Council of Women
International Alliance of Women
International Planned Parenthood Federation
International Federation for Parent Education
World Alliance of Young Men’s Christian Association
World Young Women’s Christian Association
The above list is not exhaustive, but in all these organisations, adult education forms an important aspect of their work.
- Non-governmental organisations in which there is some educational content in their work.
- Some of the international governmental organisations in which there is some educational content in their work include churches, universities, the press, trade unions, broadcasting, engineering, science, commerce, mass communication, libraries, and health.
The international organisations that are concerned with particular groups in society, or where membership is confined to certain categories of people.
They are the blind, mentally and physically handicapped, Journalists, Youths, University staff, Authors, architects and protesters. The above case is inexhaustible
Inter-governmental organization
Inter-governmental organisations with adult education as an important part of their work.
The United Nations Educational, Scientific, and CulturaOrganisationon was founded in 1946, and it has contributed immensely towards the development of adults as a discipline and as a profession.
This organisation is based in Paris and has its South Africa Regional Office in Dakar, Senegal. It has the following functions:
- Promoting educational, scientific, and cultural development
- Exchanging views among adult educators throughout the world.
- Assisting with adult education programs
- Convening international conferences, regional meetings, and seminars
- Sponsoring publications, journals, and newsletters
- Recruiting and sustaining field experts in adult education at the request of member states
- Promoting the concept of functional literacy.
- Promoting lifelong and continuing education
- The main concern of UNESCO is the issue of illiteracy, and indeed, it occupies a central position among organisations pursuing functional literacy.
Inter-governmental organisations with some interest in adult education
The intergovernmental organisations with some interest in adult education include:
- The Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations with its an interest in agricultural extension work.
- The International Labour Organisation, with its interest in workers’ education
- The World Health Organisation, with its interest in health education.\
The three organisations identified above concern themselves with only their respective areas of interest in adult education.
Trust and charitable institutions
These are the philanthropic institutions that have contributed immensely towards the development of adult education. These are:
The Ford Foundation
The Carnegie Foundations
The Nuffield Foundations
The Peacock Foundations
The Kellogg Foundations
The Fredrick Ebert Foundations
These charitable organisations have sponsored many adult education programs and have constructed physical structures for institutions running adult education programs.
2. REGIONAL (CONTINENTAL) ORGANIZATIONS
Non-governmental organization
- Regional non-governmental organisations with adult education as their exclusive concern.
These organisations are classified on a continental basis, and the four regional organisations include: the African Adult Education Association, the Asia and South Pacific Bureau of Adult Education, the European Bureau of Adult Education ND Federation Interamericana de Adultos, FIDEA.
It will be observed that North America has no continental organisation. The functions of the above four regional international organisations include the following:
- Providing opportunities for adult educators who are operating in almost identical environments and facing almost similar problems to interact with one another.
- Disseminating useful information to members through journals, newsletters, conferences, seminars, and workshops.
- Providing a forum for consultation among the national adult organisations.
- Coordinating researchers on behalf of their members.
Other Regional non-governmental organisations with some interest in adult education are as follows:
Association of African Universities
Association for Teacher Education in Africa
Association of Arab Universities
Union of Latin American Universities
Inter-governmental organization
The regional or continental intergovernmental organisations have physical, political and economic concerns, yet they still have an interest in education. These include:
Organisation of African Unity (OAU)
The Council of Europe
The South Pacific Commission
Economic Commission for Africa
The organisation has the following functions:
- Contributing towards the development of education and adult education
- Sponsoring conferences and training seminars through a specialised commission
- Promoting valuable and wealthy literature on adult education, and,
- Disseminating useful information to their members.
adminate
Editors
