lidčke Winter 2004 Congratulations to Olga Drofenik! * Promotion of 4-27 the culture of learning * Adult education in Slovenia - providers and programmes 2004/2005 * Lifelong Learning Week - LLW 2004 * The reading virus spreads * Conclusion of the 8th Adult Education Colloquium * Efforts to establish and recognise informal and ad hoc learning in adult education * E-learning - Development in Slovenia and in the world * Evaluation of the social-integration role of the Project Learning for Young Adults Programme * Current Issues in Adult Learning and Motivation Resolution on the Adult Education Master Plan * 28-35 10,000+ Programme * Lifelong learning for better parenting Project RESULTS * Study visit to France SIAE EVENTS SLOVENIAN ADULT EDUCATION SCENE INTERNATIONAL CO-OPERATION And'30Ci£i£i cenrer Server.nr.inhiule Id1 AaLltLdL^ali^n Reputes PROGRAMME BASIS OF NOVIČKE Novičke (The News) is an information bulletin with whitch we wish to inform individuals and organisations abroad with adult education and learning in Slovenia. We plan to provide the following types of: • description and presentation of events and activities in adult education; • development, research and other programmes and projects; • information on organisations, their needs, plans and activities; • information on policy and strategies of adult education; • the latest news in administration and legislation; • statistical data; • information on forthcoming events, workshops, seminars and conferences; • presentations of new books and articles. Novičke will provide brief, concise, objective and unbiased information. Novičke will be published three times a year in English language. Users will receive Novičke free of charge. This is a policy we intend to continue, provided we are able to cover the costs of publishing from the public funds allocated to adult education. Novičke is edited and published by the Slovenian Institute for Adult Education. In charge of the publication are: Zvonka Pangerc Pahernik, MSc, head of the Information and promotion cluster, and Nevenka Kocijančič, editor. DTP: Solos, inc. Translation: AMIDAS, inc. Printed by: Tiskarna Strok. The publisher's address: Andragoški center Slovenije, Šmartinska 134a, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia. Phone: +386 (0)1 5842 560, fax: + 386 (0)1 5245 881, internet: siae.acs.si/novicke, e-mail: nevenka.kocijancic@acs.si ISSN 1408-6492 (English edition - printed) ISSN 1581-3789 (English edition - online) Edition: 870 The preparation and dissemination of the bulletin Novičke is financed by the Ministry of Labour, Family and Social Affairs. Dear readers of Novičke, friends of the learning culture! The time calling for good wishes is drawing nearer and nearer. Greetings and kind wishes belong to the culture of which our poet Simon Gregorčič said: "The only culture I count true concerns the wilt, the heart and the head - the three of them! " And may this be accompanied by our New Year's wish: to be able to achieve and retain this entirety in ourselves, to be able to cohabitate in peace and in pleasure facing the challenges of learning, creating, getting to know ourselves and the world we are co-responsible for. irefore all the best in fulfilling these endeavours. Dr Vida A. Mohorčič Spolar, Directress of SIAE and colleagues Presentation of the 2004 awards of the Republic of Slovenia for education Congratulations to Olga Drofenik! Tuesday October 5 2004 was a particularly solemn occasion in the National Museum of Slovenia in Ljubljana, with the presentation of this year's education awards of the Republic of Slovenia. Awards for life achievement in various areas of education were given to: Mojca Samardžija, Edvard Majaron, Dr Gabrijela Čačinovič Vogrinčič, Dr Ivan Škoflek, Erika Glanz and Marijan Prosen. Awards for "for outstanding educational, innovative and organisational work"1 were given to Metka Čas, Drago Ivanšek, Slavko Deržek, Aleksandra Čeferin and Olga Drofenik, a former distinguished member of the Slovenian Institute for Adult Education (from it's beginning uo to her retirement in 2003). Olga Drofenik first encountered the specific features of adult education back in 1972, when she began teaching Slovenian in the primary school programme for adults. This experience marked all her later work, the common feature of which is "to promote and contribute to the creation of conditions that will help open up educational paths, recognise knowledge, respect and co-operate with individuals and groups deprived in one way or another of educational opportunities. About 15 years ago, this led me to steer my professional career directly towards the development of adult education."2 Olga Drofenik's contribution far exceeds the demands of her job. Dedication to the development of adult education inspired her to seek out professional and political allies in support of innovation, and she also undertook demanding evaluation studies, thereby contributing to raising quality and overcoming barriers in various areas of educational practice. She is still professionally involved (even after her retirement) in international projects. In the late 80s and early 90s, when only individual professionals were involved in the development of adult education, with the state, politicians and business uninterested, a sort of coalition was organised for the renovation and development of adult education, 1 Education Awards of RS Recipients for 2004, Ministry of Education, Science and Sport, web publication (http://www.mszs.si/slo/ministrstvo/nagrade/2004.asp) 2 Justification of the 2004 education award of RS nomination, proposer Slovenian Institute for Adult Education comprising distinguished experts in the areas of education, the labour market and representatives of civil society, which negotiated with the Government on the urgency of systemic public financing of adult education and statutory arrangements for adult education as a whole. It prepared a Proposal for additional funds for adult education from the state budget, laying the foundations for the system of financing of adult education in Slovenia. For the first time, adult education became a separate item in the state budget of the Ministry of Education and Sport (previously only primary school for adults). More important than the extent of funding was the fact that the state recognised its obligation to finance adult education from the state budget. Budget funding, which gradually increased, enabled new development initiatives and their establishment in practice (network of study circles, learning exchange, centres for self-directed learning, project learning for young adults). Today it is a very important element in ensuring social inclusion, while some examples of good practice are being extended to other countries, particularly to South-Eastern Europe and the Balkans. Olga Drofenik's contribution can also be found in the area of local government legislation. Her efforts over years bore fruit in 1998, when an amendment proposed by the Slovenian Institute for Adult Education was adopted placing "adult education, which is important for the development of the municipality and for the quality of life of its residents" 3 among the original tasks of local communities. The award winner was also involved in the creation of new education legislation. Perhaps her most important contribution is the incorporation of the Adult Education Master Plan in the Adult Education Act (1996). Later she also made the greatest contribution to the design of the contents of the Master Plan up to 2010, and significantly helped it transform from a professional proposal into a document of national adult education policy. She also strived for the inclusion of the national programmes and the annual programmes of adult education in the White Paper on Education (1995) as a key innovation defining the adult education sector as a public good for which both Parliament and the Government of the Republic of Slovenia are responsible. Olga Drofenik was also involved in the area of educational policy for deprived groups of adults; this primarily involves informal adult education outside traditional educational institutions. She drew attention to the contribution of such education to the development of the local environment and the quality of life of individuals. 3 Local Government Act "Towards the end of the 80s - at the initiative of Dr Ana Krajnc - she began studies into adult (functional) literacy. She established the basic concept of operation in this field, which includes informing lay, professional and political publics, developing networks of teachers and other professionals to recognise the problem in individuals, appropriate action on the national, local and personal levels, monitoring and evaluating measures, all supported by research and development work. Under her leadership in 1991, a national research and development project was designed and implemented at the SIAE - Adult Functional Literacy in Slovenia - representing the pioneering beginnings of work in this field in Slovenia. Based on theoretical findings, empirical experience in certain European countries and (limited) empirical results for Slovenia, the ground was prepared for training professional teams and specialists, quality assurance methodologies and evaluation of training programmes to improve the literacy level, with pilot projects carried out in the networks of folk high schools and private adult-education organisations. At the same time, this work was also a practical test of the suitability of policy and systems solutions for adult education, and an opportunity to propose changes and additions."4 The movement to raise the adult literacy level - begun by Olga Drofenik and her colleagues - has today expanded to professionals outside the SIAE, we have become partners in international co-operation (research in the area of literacy), efforts to raise the literacy level have also expanded to several specialist fields: family literacy, rural literacy, literacy in the workplace, special-needs literacy, e-literacy ... With the professional and organisational contribution of Olga Drofenik, literacy became one of the basic areas of operation of the SIAE, with a trained research-development group that enjoys a reputation at home and abroad. Olga Drofenik has also been active internationally, as an expert on the system and issues of democratisation of adult education, as well as on lifelong learning quality indicators. She contributed to the establishment of the Slovenian profession abroad by promoting the transfer of know-how and Slovenian Institute for Adult Education projects to other countries, by establishing partnerships and SIAE and Slovenian participation in international projects. Through her extensive research, development and professional work, Olga Drofenik has made a distinguished contribution to the field of adult education in Slovenia. She was one of the handful of professionals engaged in developing and establishing the adult education system. The fruits of joint efforts bear the stamp of her knowledge, experience and creativity. In particular, we think of her contribution to establishing the foundations 4 Justification of the 2004 education award of RS nomination, proposer Slovenian Institute for Adult Education of the system of public financing for adult education under the principles of lifelong learning, which opened up opportunities for systematic development work and innovation in adult education practice. Thus she not only co-designed the adult education system and national education policy, she also helped modernise adult education strategies and practice. Slavica Borka Kucler (slavica.borka.kucler@acs.si), SIAE Study circles celebrate Promotion of the culture of learning Before 1990, responsibility for individual and community development was somehow in the domain of the state/society; after the collapse of the system, whole social groups, as well as people as individuals, found themselves in a vacuum. New forces needed to be raised, new values presented and new tools offered to people. Thus as mature individuals they would be actively involved in creating their own fate, and turn various circumstances to their benefit. Greater emphasis was thus placed on: personal initiative, enterprise, learning (to adapt to changes and for personal development), creating links to achieve selected goals more successfully, and competitiveness in the labour market. Here we will ignore the desire for success and consumerism. Among the tools we designed to attract (dormant) creative forces in society were study circles, which have been successfully operating in various thematic fields all over Slovenia for more than ten years. Nevenka Bogataj, MSc, is responsible for development of the study circles project at the Slovenian Institute for Adult Education, and we asked her to describe to us study circles as an important promoter of the culture of learning. SBK: Would you describe for us some of the signs that convinced you that the decision to establish study circles was a good investment in the development of the culture of learning? Bogataj: Are you asking if state funds were used productively? Yes, they were, so much so that it would be hard to find something comparably effective in education - less than 80 tolars is invested per year in an individual participant, and the results have included numerous books, brochures, postcards, (more or less) regular journals, learning paths, media programmes and items, websites, exhibitions, and especially non-material events that enrich our knowledge and at the same time strengthen relations between us and towards our environment. This is a long-term change in our own culture. Material incentives only enable planned development. The support of the Ministry of Education and Sport - other ministries, despite our extraordinary efforts have not provided significant support - is therefore essential and key, despite the sponsorship that circle members themselves obtain, and one of a kind. Without a decade of effort by people, no amount of investment would have achieved any effect, not even in the short term. And who are these people? People at the Slovenian Institute for Adult Education, people in the network of educational institutions and adult learners all over Slovenia. The individual is also increasingly coming to the fore in education. Circles operate under all the declared principles of sustainability, they may perhaps teach behaviours more than content. They also respect the barriers and painful experiences not uncommon among adults, and they bring joy, spontaneity, creativity and enthusiasm. The fact that they are increasingly desirable and respected among the population truly shows development in the culture from the level where the individual joins a group, such as a study circle, and together with others creates a community from it. The basic signs that you asked me about are therefore the respect, persistence, openness and activity of those people who have contributed in any way to the development of study circles. SBK: When does the idea of establishing a study circle fall on fertile soil? Bogataj': When curious and at least slightly brave, sometimes even daring people, who want to change something, get together, at home or in their local community. They therefore have to observe the world around them, respond to needs, including one another's, but not through criticism and competition, but by continually accepting, adapting to and improving one another. Such people work more for others than for themselves, they are prepared to agree on objectives and to learn in a planned manner, to adapt to possibilities - those within the group and those dictated by their local community. Usually something great emerges - apart from a product or an event, permanent ties that continue beyond the limits of the circle, with relationships very often changing. They transcend themselves and sometimes deal with key questions, such as: do I have any influence for example on my life on the development of my neighbourhood? When an individual dares to be himself and is also prepared (with self-criticism and restraint) to change, he revives a circle which places us as examples to each other. There's no need to look, it appears itself. SBK: How do you break through into learning-unaware regions? Bogataj: What are "learning-aware regions"? Circles show clearly by example an alternative culture of relations - not "us" and "you", not "good" and "bad". Circles go beyond such divisions, since in circles everybody knows something and is prepared to share that something with others for shared growth, joint development. We encourage "learning-unaware regions": first, to recognise their own comparative advantages and therefore to enhance their self-image; second, to make up for shortages; and third, to communicate internally and externally. This transcends the individual, it involves the common, although perhaps it's not modern. But it is necessary, just as common self-awareness, identity, is necessary. We therefore need people worthy of trust - and that can't be established quickly - open to encouragement, selective enough to influence, and sufficiently sincere and wide. They must also have patience and grand and creative ideas. As long as we have such people (our history, full of war, migration and - more recently - the adoption of foreign patterns, has decimated them), we need not fear for education and our joint development. SBK: When is the individual really persuaded? How can we arouse curiosity and creativity at the same time? Bogataj: When does curiosity "grab" you? Many experts are engaged in research into this question, but I can only answer from the experience of my own learning path and my work with study circles. In study circles it's not a question of motivation, the central question of participation of adults who cannot be forced into education. The individual is persuaded when he has influence - on his learning, on his results, on the things that interest him, and on his own rhythm and level of learning achievement. Material circumstances can be important, but they are certainly not essential, or rather they are essential for those looking for an excuse in them. That's easier than striving to learn, to gather resources, and to organise and introduce them. It is human nature to follow the path of least resistance, to which curiosity is a counterweight, the antithesis. I always call circle members special people, particularly worthy. They are curious and creative, not just for themselves. Most SIAE award-winning study circle members are rewarded for enriching the knowledge of others. That's no coincidence. SBK: What is the role of the community in arousing the culture of learning? Bogataj: Massive and essential. An individual only becomes a person in a community. There is a mutual relationship between the community and the person. Promoting the culture of lifelong learning is extremely important in this context. For us as individuals, to become curious and also brave, and for us as a community, which "will destroy us if we don't read," as Tone Pavček put it. What today does the community represent? What do we give it, or do we just expect things from it? SBK: What do the individuals and the group and wider community gain from successful study circles? Bogataj: Individuals receive numerous messages - that learning can be enjoyable, that they are not alone, that there is constant communication between them and the group - learn a great deal that is new, master new skills, and particularly gain new perspectives. They find it easier to hone and defend their positions - they are not alone and doubtful. They can be proud of a product or an event. And much else besides - we are preparing a collection in which we will publish the responses of mentors to this question. A group cannot exist without such people, and as many as one in five circles grow into societies or other more sustained forms of co-operation. The question of what the community gains from a successful circle is one that I am researching, and some interesting results confirm that this is one of the fundamental issues for development on the level of Slovenia. For now, I can say that the community gains an identity, its ego. I think that - through their participation in circles, the contents they have chosen, their dedication and the results that have arisen from all of this - people themselves have answered that this is needed for Slovenia at the transition from dictatorship through the embrace of consumerism to new European integration. Interview prepared by: Slavica Borka Kucler (slavica.borka.kucler@acs.si), SIAE Adult Education Review Adult education in Slovenia - providers and programmes 2004/2005 Once again this year, the website of the Slovenian Institute for Adult Education has published a review of adult education and learning opportunities in the 2004/2005 school year. In recent years the review has only been available in the web version, and it is published on the Institute's website at http://www.acs.si/pregled (in Slovenian language). 299 providers from all over Slovenia responded to our invitation to publish their details. The largest number are private organisations and private schools, followed by secondary schools, folk high schools and adult education units in secondary schools. Every year, many societies, museums, libraries and galleries also show an interest in publication in the Review. Most providers come from central Slovenia (46%), followed by Gorenjska (12%) and Podravje (11%). The range of educational programmes on offer is extensive, with more than 5000 programmes for adults published in this year's Review. You can search among programmes to obtain a formal education (16%), training and supplementary training programmes for work (13%), or - the most numerous and diverse - informal programmes for leisure time (71%). You can choose foreign languages, computer courses, artistic and cultural programmes, environmental protection, personal growth, communication, health, education and many other contents. In terms of the number of programmes, central Slovenia again comes first (45%), followed by Podravje (10%) and Gorenjska (10%). The Review also gives additional sources and information on centres for self-directed learning, learning exchanges, adult education information and guidance as well as vocational guidance centres. There are thus many opportunities for education and learning. We hope that visitors of the web site will find among the mass of different programmes one that suits their needs and wishes. We thank all the providers for responding to our invitation and for allowing us to publish their information in the Review. Maja Delalut (maja.delalut@acs.si), SIAE external associate Summary of events Lifelong Learning Week - LLW 2004 The Lifelong Learning Week, intended for the broadest promotion of the learning culture, has changed into a closing act when we try to evaluate this year's progress on the path to our chosen objective - Slovenia, a learning country. Have all our multifaceted efforts contributed anything to greater public awareness of the importance of lifelong learning for a better tomorrow? Has LLW 2004 taken us any further from prejudice and fear of rejoining education? The first look back confirms our belief that many educators and institutions around Slovenia have listened to people and their needs. They prepared a colourful range of festival events, through which they attempted to arouse in visitors a joy towards acquiring knowledge, and to encourage them towards personal growth, enterprise and creativity, to offer them necessary information ... Everyone has special gifts, some are particularly talented, but they need to be supported by knowledge, skills and education. Pan-Slovenian Learning Festival The Lifelong Learning Week operates under the sponsorship of the Government of the Republic of Slovenia. The Ministry of Labour, Family and Social Affairs and the Ministry of Education and Sport provide budget funding. 2004 was the ninth time we had organised the LLW - designed as a festival of learning - with the aim of achieving our vision expressed in the slogan "Slovenia, a learning country". LLW events are thus intended for people of all ages and social and geographic environments, regardless of their level of education. Equally, entry to most events is free. The Slovenian Institute for Adult Education is the national LLW coordinator, while the project is implemented by a network of around 500 providers and friends of LLW all over Slovenia, with the valuable organisational and promotional assistance of around 20 regional and 5 thematic coordinators. With their help, we reach many remote corners of our country which - except for a primary school and a general library - may not have any educational institutions. It is therefore not surprising that in such places libraries and societies (sports, mountaineering, farm, tourist ...) are the most important factors in lifelong learning. Of course once again this year the largest share of events were held in major towns or regional centres (Ljubljana 225 events, Maribor 188, Novo Mesto 87, Koper 64, Celje 49, Murska Sobota 43, Nova Gorica 35, Jesenice 32, Ravne na Koroškem 27 ...), largely due to the network of LLW coordinators, particularly folk high schools and certain private educational institutions and local communities, which prepared a rich festival programme. Through the lifelong learning week, we attempt to cross state borders. This year we were unfortunately unable to organise events across the border, but LLW messages were present in local media in these regions - press, radio (Trieste, Klagenfurt) and TV (Trieste). Cross-border co-operation with Croatia was more symbolic, since we handed out the award given at last year's First Regional Festival of Learning in SE Europe. Contribution of the Slovenian Institute for Adult Education to LLW 2004 The Slovenian Institute for Adult Education enhanced LLW with a range of services and events. Once again this year the Institute provided promotional material with a common corporate image for all providers all over Slovenia (posters, leaflets, LLW-Novičke, paper dice ...). We prepared a web calendar of events, covering all events, regardless of the venue. This was of considerable help to providers and participants alike. We are delighted that it drew media attention, particularly channel 1 of the national radio station, which every morning invited people to attend events carefully selected from the web listing. We attempted to attract Internet users to participate in LLW through an animated e-postcard, the LLW website and publication of messages on the most popular web portals. On 15 October 2004 we staged the main opening ceremony, at which we also presented SIAE awards for 2004 for outstanding achievement in adult education. We also prepared two exhibitions for the occasion. We were the spiritus agens of the week-long campaign Reading on trains, which is described in the next article. This year's 8th Adult Education Colloquium, the main professional event in LLW, was international in scope, and is discussed in a separate article. Media co-operation this year was rich and successful. We called two press conferences, we participated in Radio and Television Slovenia programmes with statements and as studio guests, and in other programmes on private radio and TV stations. We reached out to students by participating in the educational programme Student Arena (two round tables, stand with LLW promotional material, two video events). Themes of this year's learning festival Learning through sport, hiking and coexistence with nature The Lifelong Learning Week is always in harmony with the European motto, this year the European Year of Learning through Sport, with the slogan "Move your body, stretch your mind". Two Slovenian umbrella organisations, the Scout Association of Slovenia and the Slovenian Catholic Scouts Association, promoted the culture of learning with the culture of life and movement in nature as part of LLW 2004. The leading providers of more than 200 sports events in the Week were primary and secondary schools, sports societies and clubs, pensioner societies and others. A review of the composition of providers shows that linking sport and learning genuinely involves all age groups. The Tourist Association of Slovenia also responded to the European Year of Learning through Sport, inviting people to walk in forests, historic learning trails, cultural heritage trails, cycle paths and other interesting routes. "Reading on trains": for a culture of learning, literacy and to mark the 10th anniversary of study circles in Slovenia During LLW and in co-operation with Slovenian Railways, the Oton Župančič Library in Ljubljana - Kolodvor unit, the Society of Slovenian Writers and reading and study circles, we carried out a week-long campaign of reading on trains. The network of "Reading on trains" events covered all of Slovenia. In addition to the culture of reading, we therefore also promoted literacy and an environmentally and reading-friendly form of travel, and swapped and donated books. Reading events were very varied, depending on the resourcefulness and motivation skills of members of reading and other circles. The range of events on trains and in railway stations was jointly designed by 27 providers. Learning for greater competitiveness on the labour market For the third year running, the Employment Service of Slovenia was one of the theme coordinators of the festival of learning. As it recognises the importance of the culture of learning for a more self-confident appearance in the labour market, for the formation of employment or career plans, and for reducing unemployment-related stress, units of the ESS all over Slovenia were drawn to the LLW. Regional Employment Services prepared 52 information-education events in 20 municipalities. 10th anniversary of the project in 2005 With the first outline planning for LLW 2005 already underway, we are entering the tenth jubilee year of the festival of learning. Over the years much has changed, and much remains to be changed, particularly in the area of financing and promotion. Slavica Borka Kucler (slavica.borka.kucler@acs.si), SIAE Reading on trains The reading virus spreads The iron road approaches, And I rejoice, my love; From Ljubljana to other towns, I fly like a little bird. (France Prešeren: From the Iron Road) It is the book that lifts the cultural level of the nation. What can we do to make "reading the prayer of mind, heart and soul", as Dr Manca Košir wrote? Rachel Van Viel, founder of the Opening the Book institute in England, spoke years ago of the necessity of preparing an event that will link people and books, that will present reading in such a way that it will be included in our lives, since "if we don't start to celebrate the pleasures of reading, it will not survive." The basic tone of the Let's read with Manca Košir study circles is certainly the joy of reading and the desire to "infect as many Slovenes as possible with this virus". To infect as many people as possible, we at the Slovenian Institute for Adult Education, together with the concept leader Dr Manca Košir, decided with Slovenian Railways and the Oton Župančič Library to prepare a major campaign based on spreading the reading culture and people- and environmentally friendly travel. Thus members of reading and study circles and many volunteers spread the reading virus on trains and in railway stations all over Slovenia. During the festival of learning - the Lifelong Learning Week, 18-23 October 2004, 35 events were staged involving members of more than 20 circles. Events in Ljubljana were enriched by graphologists who conducted a graphological analysis of two manuscripts of Slovenian writers, Edvard Kocbek and Srečko Kosovel; a calligrapher pointed out the importance of the written word, and the poems of Slovenian poet Bine Štampe Žmavc were interpreted by actresses from the theatre academy. We enhanced events by donating books. We invited numerous publishers, the Society of Slovenian Writers, the Oton Župančič Library and other individuals to participate, and they generously donated books with the desire that they be revived with new readers. Around 3000 books and periodicals were donated, as well as countless leaflets with poems and extracts of Slovenian prose, collected by circle members. Let me testify in words about just a small part of our colourful reading firework: • Passengers on trains and in stations were left speechless when 90 members of circles at the University of the Third Age from Velenje joined them. "We found that there was a much greater reading drought among people than we had expected. As a result, the campaign reverberated like a welcome rain shower and people supped on our words," said the mentor. They prepared a reading festival on the train: reading circle members talked to passengers and gave them books contributed by various Slovenian publishers, they recited poems and read Slovenian prose. The cookery circle distributed sweet delights together with recipes around the train. Embroiderers and lace-makers spoke particularly to young people, showing examples of handicrafts and handing out to passengers historical notes on the handicrafts our grandparents made. • Members of the improvisation league enlivened their performance with a flamethrower performance. • One study circle proudly reported: "Our railway station, which was a real sleeping beauty, was definitely revived by our visit and will be more attractive from now on!" During the year, circle members organised exhibitions and donated books, ensuring a lively and well-organised station. • Secondary school students also helped enthusiastically in spreading reading, inundating one railway station, distributing texts and poems by local authors and helping ensure that passengers read on the train at least for one day. They were also joined by a tramp who set the poems to music and sang to waiting passengers. • Some circle members decided to concentrate on encouraging children and their parents with fairy tales. They took a mascot typical of the home region of the circle onto the train. Together they read fairy tales from a particular Slovenian region and discussed what they had read. • A romantic reading atmosphere was also reported along an old wooden railway in the middle of a forest. Around a fire, they read to each other of the mysteries of the forest and sang Slovenian folk songs. The reading firework - with its diversity - illuminated all of Slovenia, and the light that reached passengers, passers-by and all participants will certainly shine again next year. We must recognise that language is the treasure of the nation. At a time when state borders between nations have been eliminated, it is important above all that we know how to preserve our culture and transfer it to younger generations. This year's experience is particularly important in persuading children and adults to read. It is still books that can allow anyone to learn much that is noble - they teach us to love ourselves and those close to us, teach us our mother tongue, develop critical thinking skills and, as Feuchtersleben said, "books are the eyeglasses through which we observe the world". Damjana Nagode (damjana.nagode@acs.si), SIAE external associate Education and Training of Teachers in Adult Education Conclusion of the 8th Adult Education Colloquium After a year of preparation, on 22 and 23 October the Slovenian Institute for Adult Education successfully ran the eighth adult education colloquium at the Faculty of Education in Ljubljana. Around 80 delegates attended. We were pleasantly surprised by the number of foreign visitors - a quarter of participants came from Bulgaria, Greece, Ireland, Germany, Romania, Slovakia, Serbia and Montenegro, Switzerland and the United Kingdom. They were drawn by the interesting and topical theme: Education and Training of Teachers in Adult Education. The colloquium was opened by Vida A. Mohorčič Špolar (SIAE), and participants were also addressed by Janez Krek (Faculty of Education in Ljubljana). In the plenary session on the first day, Magda Trantalidi (Ministry of Education, General secretariat for adult education, Greece), Aleksandra Pejatovič (University of Belgrade, Faculty of Arts, Serbia and Montenegro), Irina Radevska (Ministry of Education and Science, Higher Education Department, Bulgaria) and Brigita Rupar (National Education Institute of RS) presented their views. The contents of plenary papers summarised adult education systems and presented European projects in individual countries. Work in the afternoon took place in two groups. Participants discussed teacher education and training, the use of different roles and methods in adult education and the role of educational technology in adult education. Presentations were given by Ivana Mori (National Education Institute of RS, Slovenj Gradec RU), Srečka Božič (Centre for Speech and Hearing Training Portorož), Jasmina Hasanbegovič (University of St. Gallen, Swiss Centre for Innovation in Education, Switzerland), Anca Drugas (University of Ordea, Centre for Adult Education Research, Romania), Andreja Istenič Starčič (University of Ljubljana, Faculty of Civil and Geodetic Engineering), Ester Možina (SIAE), Bonnie Dudley Edwards (University of Edinburgh, United Kingdom) and Alenka Hebar. The first day ended with two workshops from Julija Lapuh Bele (B2 Education Centre Institute, Sales College), which presented "recipes" for how to prepare interesting talks, and Slavica Borka Kucler (SIAE), in which participants discussed the role of the individual as a basic value in the light of the lifelong learning strategy with examples of good practice. On the second day, Nives Ličen (Faculty of Arts in Ljubljana, Department of Pedagogy and Andragogy) presented different professional roles of the adult educator. Norman Lucas (University of London, Education Institute, United Kingdom) and Judith James, Jean Preece and Brenda Griffiths (University of Wales Swansea, United Kingdom) presented programmes to raise the level of adult literacy and training of educators-tutors. In the latter we also recognised a specific example from practice - one participant presented her life story. After the official end of the colloquium, we set out on an excursion to Predjamski Grad castle and Postojna caves. Charmed by the beauties of the Slovenian landscape, the history and the "underground", we had refreshments at a Slovenian tourist farm, before returning, pleasantly tired, to Ljubljana late in the evening. Neda Dordevic (neda.dordevic@acs.si), SIAE Evaluation of learning and new approaches to learning Efforts to establish and recognise informal and ad hoc learning in adult education We at the Slovenian Institute for Adult Education (SIAE) have been involved in the field of evaluation of adult education and learning for more than a decade. The theme has gradually become an important area of our research and development work. We took the first steps in 1994 by studying foreign examples and models, particularly the American and English examples. The idea of recognising prior learning and work experience gained on an informal or ad hoc basis in various ways (most often by performing vocational work, or entirely unintentionally while performing various activities that are part of daily life) was born in the United States of America in the 1970s. This marked the beginning of modern understanding of learning, which until then had to take place in formal educational institutions or a standardised school system in order to be officially recognised. The recognition that it is possible to learn a great deal and to receive vocational training in other ways and elsewhere (outside of schools), has become established only with great difficulty, considerable resistance, and particularly a great lack of confidence in the quality of knowledge and, as we say today, competences obtained in this manner. The first result of systematic efforts in this area in Slovenia was the handbook Accreditation of prior learning (APL)1, which presented the philosophy of accreditation of prior learning. The handbook shows conditions (of particular importance is the methodology presented for forming learning achievements) and procedures, and defines the role of providers (advisers, assessors) of accreditation of learning, representing the core of all procedures developed to date. In the same year, SIAE conducted trial certification procedures for the purposes of certain development projects, such as training mentors for study circles and teachers in Literacy programmes. In promoting the methods and model of accreditation of prior learning in other fields, which showed the greatest needs (adult vocational education and training), we encountered a great deal of mistrust. There were several reasons, among which we cannot overlook the fact that in the so-called socialist period, our labour market knew of "recognition of work capacities obtained through work". Labour legislation enabled the accreditation of internal qualifications under a special procedure defined by the labour organisation itself. Of course, such qualifications had no value in the formal education system. In many places, assessment changed into recognition of qualifications solely on the basis of work experience, without any certification procedures, which of course caused a large negative response. It seems that mistrust of the procedures for certifying vocational qualifications today is still rooted in this period. The possibilities for informally acquiring knowledge and skills and for developing competences are today unlimited, since our information-centred society is awash with them. Such knowledge, which is a "secret treasure", cannot remain invisible, buried. We must place it on a suitable level, and social and economic value must be assigned to it. In Slovenia, the ground was particularly favourable to the introduction of a system of evaluation of knowledge, skills and competences in the 90s. In the mid-90s, reform processes in numerous 1 Nataša E. Jelenc: Ugotavljanje in potrjevanje znanja (UPZ). Ljubljana : SIAE, 1996 areas, including education and employment, in their different ways radically promoted a change in attitudes towards valuing informal and ad hoc learning. This was a time of major structural changes in the labour market, the loss of unskilled jobs and rising unemployment. A large part of the active labour force had no formal vocational qualifications. The education system could not respond quickly and flexibly to this problem, and so under the aegis of the Ministry of Labour, Family and Social Affairs (MLFSA), a project began to emerge for the development of a certificate system. The SIAE was actively involved in this effort. The book Qualifications in a certificate system2 is the professional basis for all further efforts in this field. The next important milestone is the Phare Mocca programmed started in 1999, which accelerated the introduction of the certificate system in practice. The SIAE, in co-operation with other partners (MLFSA, Vocational Education Centre of RS, and the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Slovenia), developed certification procedures comparable to procedures used by other countries in the European Union in the area of assessing knowledge, skills and competences. The SIAE's activities in the area of assessment of informally acquired knowledge are currently mainly geared towards: • Quality assurance efforts in training providers (advisers and assessors) of accreditation procedures for vocational qualifications, since within the Phare Mocca programme we had already developed - and later supplemented - a modular training programme for members of the accreditation committee for national vocational qualifications (NVQ), as well as information staff and advisers monitoring adults and advising them in procedures for obtaining vocational qualifications, particularly in the preparation of portfolios, which in our system is an important tool for demonstrating professional qualification; • The development and introduction of innovative forms of evaluation of informally acquired knowledge when adults rejoin programmes of formal education at various levels; • Networking and exchanging experience with various providers of accreditation of informal learning in international projects, such as projects from the Leonardo da Vinci programme, in which we are jointly developing assessment procedures for various levels of education and training (e.g. including for new basic skills) and adapting them to the needs of various target groups of adults. Linking the systems of formal and informal education and training, and the recognition of the informal and ad hoc learning and work experience of adults within formal education is currently still a challenge that we will face in the near future. Metka Svetina (metka.svetina@acs.si), SIAE 2 Angela Ivančič: Kvalifikacije v certifikatnem sistemu : predlog modela ugotavljanja in potrjevanja poklicnih kvalifikacij v certifikatnem sistemu. Ljubljana : SIAE, 1995 E-learning There is no single, generally accepted definition of e-learning. Some experts understand it in the broadest sense - as education in which the use of modern information and telecommunications technology plays an important role, and which serves primarily to enhance traditional education. E-learning in the narrow sense represents a modern version of distance education, which is replacing traditional education. This is a form of education which the renowned Australian professor James Taylor considers to be the so-called fourth or fifth generation in the development of distance education. The development of distance education can be divided into five generations based on different technological models. The first began to develop about 150 years ago; the next three were characteristic of the second half of the 20th century, while the 21st century saw the fifth generation of distance education. The first generation was based on the correspondence model, the second on multimedia, the third on the use of modern telecommunications with the possibility of synchronous communication, the fourth on the model of flexible learning - the use of the Internet or the worldwide web - and the fifth on the model of intelligent flexible learning - the use of the Internet or the worldwide web with the use of automated response systems and access to knowledge resources with the help of a web portal. Development was not linear. The time between generations is becoming ever shorter. No subsequent generation has fully replaced the previous one, and so today distance education programmes are being provided that have the features of the first, second, third, fourth or fifth generations1. Our understanding of e-learning assumes the following characteristics: • Spatial separation of the teacher and the participant in education, which distinguishes e-learning from traditional education; • Active role of educational organisation in the education process, which distinguishes e-learning from self-directed learning; • The use of electronic media to present or mediate educational content; • The provision of two-way communication over electronic networks (participants in the educational process communicate among themselves, with the teacher and with other staff of the educational organisation). 1 For more information, see: Taylor, J: The Future of Learning - Learning for the Future: Shaping the Transition. V: Open Praxis, Vol.2, 2001. The progress of e-learning has been influenced by the rapid development of information and telecommunications technologies, which creates new possibilities in the area of education. They are reflected in the flexibility of selection of the time, place and content of learning, in greater access to education, in the use of modern pedagogical approaches (co-operative learning, group communication etc.) in interaction between teachers and learners, and in cheaper and in some assessments better quality education compared to traditional education. In certain more developed environments, e-learning is becoming established as an opportunity to sell educational services in other countries, which means globalisation of education. The USA, Canada and Australia lead in terms of programmes on offer. The European Union is attempting to make good the delay with a range of initiatives and strategic documents promoting the use of modern technology in education. The results of these initiatives are reflected amongst others in European Union programmes to cofinance projects in the area of e-learning. The development of e-learning is one of the most complex human activities and requires team work from experts with knowledge of pedagogy, computing and informatics, economics, law, sociology, psychology etc. In addition to relevant knowledge of those developing e-learning, suitable technological and institutional infrastructure must also be provided, and personnel, organisational and financial conditions must be suitably adjusted, both within the educational organisation and within the education system as a whole. The idea that the provision of computer equipment, Internet access and basic computer literacy is sufficient for the development of e-learning is mistaken. In Slovenia, the Computer Literacy Education project contributed to the modernisation of primary and secondary education in terms of ensuring suitable technological infrastructure from 1994 to 2000. The development of distance education and e-learning in the second half of the 90s was fostered by the Phare Multi-country Programme for Distance Education. Within the Phare programme development of the distance education programme Business School at the Faculty of Economics of the University of Ljubljana and training e-learning developers began. Since the end of the 90s, several projects have been (or are being) undertaken in Slovenia in the area of e-learning. These primarily involve experimental development of short programmes and the preparation of web textbooks for individual subjects, which will enhance traditional forms of education at all levels of education. The number of e-learning programmes currently provided in Slovenia is not great, despite the considerable interest in this form of education and the favourable technological infrastructure. By way of illustration, let us mention that there is only one institution in Slovenia (Doba of Maribor) that offers a full programme of further education in the form of e-learning. In Slovenia we cannot claim to have systematic state support in the area of development of e-learning. If we want to make good the delay in the area of e-learning, those responsible for the development of education would have to adopt a national strategy in the area of e-learning and also ensure the conditions for its realisation. The Project Distance Learning in Slovenia, the aim of which is to formulate a strategy in the area of e-learning that could serve as the basis for systematic development of e-learning in Slovenia, represents an attempt to improve the current situation. Some hope for the promotion of e-learning has been brought by a European Union programme (European Structural Fund for the period 2004-2006), in which the development of e-learning programmes is planned. Within the same framework, the Slovenian Institute for Adult Education is developing programmes in the form of e-learning intended primarily for the education of adult education staff. This is a continuation of our efforts to modernise education and training of professional staff in adult education, which we began in the 90s. We have already used modern methods of instruction based on computer communications in training study circle mentors and committee members in the area of accreditation of national vocational qualifications. From 2002 to 2004, we also undertook certain activities of the National Contact Point for Distance Education, which has been transferred to the Slovenian Institute for Adult Education from the Faculty of Economics in Ljubljana. They include participation in two international projects in the fields of distance education and e-learning: Improving Open and Distance education in a Network - NetCampus, and Multi-country Integrated System for Improved ODL Networking - MISSION. Within the Project Distance Learning in Slovenia, we mainly co-operated in the development of a web portal on e-learning. At a time when human resources development and thus also lifelong learning is becoming increasingly important for the continuing development of modern societies, the demand for education, training and updating knowledge is increasing. Almost certainly in Slovenia we too will be unable to satisfy the demand with traditional forms of education. Margerita Zagmajster, MSc (margerita.zagmajster@acs.si), SIAE Book presentation Evaluation of the social-integration role of the Project Learning for Young Adults Programme At the start of 2004, the Scientific Institute of the Faculty of Arts published a monograph by several authors entitled Evaluation of the social-integration role of the Project Learning for Young Adults programme, edited by Andreja Istenič Starčič and Andreja Dobrovoljc. The book arose on the basis of an evaluation study of the same title conducted by the Scientific Institute of the Faculty of Arts and financially supported by the Ministry of Education and Sport in 2000. The basic objective of the study was to determine the social-integration effects of education in the Project Learning for Young Adults (PLYA) programme. We determined: • Whether the programme encourages and enables young people to return to education, and the nature of the effects of the programme; • Whether the programme has only a short-term or also a long-term impact, so that young people persist until successful completion of education and employment after returning to education; • How the PLYA curriculum is structured and which elements influence its quality; • Which quality indicators can be recognised in the training system for PLYA mentors (are there any deficiencies that could be eliminated). Evaluation ran from August 2000 to September 2002. The research group consisted of Dr Rastko Močnik and Dr Andreja Istenič Starčič (both Faculty of Arts), Dr Valentina Hlebec (Faculty of Social Sciences) and Dr Livija Knaflič, Sonja Klemenčič and Andreja Dobrovoljc (all Slovenian Institute for Adult Education). The evaluation applied qualitative and quantitative methods. The empirical part of the study covered all young people involved in the programme at any time up to the end of their studies, mentors implementing the programme and directors of institutions providing the programme. Implementation of the empirical part of the study was made possible by mentors and directors of institutions providing PLYA: TIN Ljubljana, Folk High School (FHS) Ajdovščina, FHS Radovljica, Adult Education Institute Maribor - FHS, FHS Murska Sobota, Skale Celje, MOCIS Slovenj Gradec Public Institute and Memory Koper. The start of the monograph presents the basic findings of the study, grouped by related research issues. This is followed by eight chapters with appendixes. Presentation of the methodology (Valentina Hlebec) is followed by the introductory theoretical part (Social-integration role of the PLYA programme in Slovenia), in which the author, Dr Rastko Močnik, deals with the issues of social inclusion, education and exclusion. He discusses in detail the term young adult and provides a historical perspective on the development of the term. He describes the position of young people depending on the social movements we have witnessed since the second half of the 20th century. In the chapter Curriculum of the PLYA Programme, the author, Sonja Klemenčič, assesses individual elements of the curriculum of the certified PLYA programme, while Dr Andreja Istenič Starčič continues - in Professional Qualifications of PLYA Programme Mentors - by evaluating the educational programme for programme mentors. Findings regarding the social image of young people involved in the programme are further presented by Dr Livija Knaflič in the chapter Psycho-social image of PLYA programme participants. In chapter six - Knowledge and skills acquired by PLYA programme participants - Andreja Dobrovoljc evaluates the educational effects, followed by Dr Livija Knaflič (Monitoring participants and the effects of the programme), who evaluates the short- and long-term educational impact of the programme. The reliability and validity of measurement in the evaluation study are analysed in the final chapter, Reliability and validity, by Valentina Hlebec and Petra Nadrag. There is also a list of sources and literature used, and a series of appendixes setting out the set of instruments used and certain empirical results of the study that did not fit in any of the chapters listed above. At the end of each substantive chapter - except the introductory theoretical chapter - we added our conclusions, in which we summarised the findings obtained from the evaluation study in the individual area under discussion, as well as proposals for possible additions or changes to the implementation of the programme or when dealing with specific target groups. The monograph (in Slovenian language) will be of interest to all those who wish to gain detailed awareness of the problems of young people leaving education, and to all those who deal with young people, their characteristics and their problems, either theoretically or in daily life. Andreja Dobrovoljc (andreja.dobrovoljc@acs.si), SIAE Presentation of the collection Current Issues in Adult Learning and Motivation As a result of economic, social and technical development, the need for additional vocational training and raising the level of education is continually growing, and continuous upgrading of knowledge has become a constituent part of life in modern societies. In adult education literature, we find many cases revealing a lack of motivation as a barrier to participation in education. Numerous answers to the above question cite the reasons why some adults participate in education and others don't, with the emphasis on internal and external reasons. Although motivation is a concept that is hard to define purely through theoretical models, theoreticians believe that the individual must be attracted to learning. The Slovenian Institute for Adult Education recently published a collection Current Issues in Adult Learning and Motivation, which discusses precisely this problem. The publication contains papers from the professional meeting of the same name - the international adult education colloquium - which we organised on 17 and 18 October 2003 in Ljubljana. We concentrated on two important issues: the characteristics of learning and motivation in adult education. Papers were divided into four groups, each dealing with a theme presented at the colloquium. The first group is based on theoretical contents of motivation and learning in adults and the various roles of teachers (Linden West, Peter Jarvis, Knud Illeris, Marko Radovan, Jyri Manninen, Sabina Jelenc Krašovec). The authors of papers focused on various theoretical approaches to motivation and the roles of the teacher and the learner, which are continually changing in the knowledge society. The second part investigates methods of promotion of and motivation for learning, the importance of the role of guidance activities in adult education and self-directed learning as a learning method to encourage participation in education (Milka Atanasova, Barica Marentič Požarnik, Kristine Smalcer Pederson, Monika Rehrl). The discussions covered in the third group touch upon what is today an increasingly topical theme - the use of technology as a learning tool, e-learning and the role of web portals as a source of information to support the development of education (Barry Sponder, Guy Arquembourg, Lea Bregar, Margerita Zagmajster, Metka Uršič). The fourth group covers research into the education of different target groups - the unemployed, teachers, professional musicians and the elderly, as well as various critical views of the concept of lifelong learning (Bogomir Novak, Slavica Černoša, Hans Gruber, Anthony P. Donajgrodzki, Jane Simmons, Angela Ivančič). The monograph is useful as a book for the professional public and as supplementary material for university study. Papers are published in English. The publication comprises 264 pages, and costs SIT 4,450 /EUR 19 (including VAT and postage) per copy. Send the enclosed order form to: Slovenian Institute for Adult Education, Šmartinska 134a, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia (tel.: + 386 1 5842 560, fax: + 386 1 5245 881). Neda Dordevic (neda.dordevic@acs.si), SIAE SLOVENIAN ADULT EDUCATION SCENE What's new? Resolution on the Adult Education Master Plan Eight years after the adoption of the Adult Education Act, which defined the Master Plan as the basis for the determination and financing of annual adult education programmes, and six years after the confirmation of the Expert basis for the programme of the Adult Education Master Plan (Slovenian Institute for Adult Education, 1998 and 1999), at its June session (16 June 2004) the National Assembly of the Republic of Slovenia adopted the Resolution on the Adult Education Master Plan in the Republic of Slovenia to 2010 (RAEMP). RAEMP covers the period from 2004 to 2010, matching the time frame set by the European Union for realisation of the so-called Lisbon Objectives, under which Europe should become by 2010 "the most competitive and dynamic knowledge-based economy, capable of sustainable economic growth with more and better jobs and greater social cohesion." Over this period, almost SIT 72 billion, at least three times more than to date, should be allocated from public funds and from European Structural Funds to adult education programmes. The objectives and priority areas, which we have also presented in Novičke, have not significantly changed over this period - they comprise a set of related activities and processes aimed at "raising the quality of life of the individual, promoting active citizenship and increasing employability." (RAEMP) One of the major revisions between the draft versions and the final document involves the innovations introduced by the National Vocational Qualifications Act, under which professional knowledge, skills and experience obtained outside the formal education system can be assessed and certified. Certification of vocational qualifications is mentioned in almost all detailed descriptions of concrete procedures and activities -both for providers and for users. The introduction of RAEMP describes the characteristics of the educational structure of adults in Slovenia; the most critical and pressing characteristics are laid out. Some indicators are presented that are comparable for the OECD countries and Slovenia. The data have been updated. A new picture emerges in line with the results of the new population census from 2002, showing a considerable positive shift in terms of the level of education of the population of Slovenia. The objectives of the Adult Education Master Plan in the Republic of Slovenia up to 2010 are: • To improve the general education level of adults; • To raise the level of education, with at least 12 years of completed education as the basic educational standard; • Increasing employability; • Increasing opportunities for learning and participation in education. It differs from previous proposals only in the desired level of education - completion of 4-year secondary school has been replaced by 12 years of completed education, which in our opinion - given the introduction of the nine-year primary school - is a slightly modest ambition. The resolution defines three priority areas: • General education and adult learning, • Education to raise the level of education, • Education and training for the needs of the labour market. It continues by defining more specifically general and operative objectives. "By realising the operative objectives in the priority areas of this national programme, we will in Slovenia achieve by 2010: • The proportion of adults with at least secondary education in the 25-64 age group will reach at least 85 percent; • The participation rate by the active working population aged 25-64 in lifelong learning will be at least 15percent." fRAEMP) The planners of the Resolution reasonably decided to adopt the values defined by the European Commission (benchmarks), as it will make monitoring their realisation through appropriate indicators substantially easier. Among the objectives of the third priority area, as mentioned above, the acquisition of national vocational qualifications under the certificate system is particularly prominent. The Resolution envisages new funding for the implementation of all the tasks defined in this area, provided in the following proportions: • "for the acquisition of national vocational qualifications under the certificate system, public funding shall generally be provided to cover 1/3 of the cost, while the difference up to the full cost shall be covered from public funds for unemployed persons, and for persons employed in labour-intensive sectors with low added value whose jobs are at risk; • costs shall be covered in full from public funds for training unemployed persons; • in general part public funding to cover costs shall be provided for employees whose jobs are at risk due to low levels of vocational education." (RAEMP) Adoption of the Resolution at the level of National Assembly is undoubtedly extremely important, since it ensures that its financial part will be coordinated both interdepartmentally and among political parties. Based on the resolution, the competent bodies will each year define plans for the following year. We can only hope that the significant part dependent on the ability to draw funding from European funds is realistic. Peter Beltram, MA (peter.beltram@acs.si), SIAE Results meet expectations 10,000+ Programme Under the Employment and Insurance Against Unemployment Act, an education programme for the unemployed began to be provided in the 1998/1999 school year. At first it was called the 5,000 Programme; last year it became the 10,000 Programme, and this year it is the 10,000+ Programme. In the first four school years, a total of 19,124 unemployed people were involved in certified programmes to obtain primary, general, vocational, professional, technical and university education.1 As with anything, the programme has matured over the years, the initial difficulties have been gradually eliminated and implementation of the programme in the 2002/2003 school year achieved substantially better results than in previous years. Continuing increase in participation The success of the programme2, the structural imbalance in the labour market and 1 Data for the 2002/2003 school year are given below. 2 Implementation of the programme to date will be presented in a future i the strategic objectives set dictate the continued provision and expansion of education for the unemployed. Although the proportion has been falling in recent years, the fact that 42.4% of unemployed people still have no vocational or professional education remains a concern. The increased extent of participation and successful implementation of the programme is the only option for moving closer to a level of education where the proportion of the active population that have not completed vocational school is below 25%, one of the priority objectives of the still current National Development Programme for the Labour Market and Employment to 2006 and other strategic national and European documents. The 10,000+ Programme will in 2004/2005 allow at least 11,140 unemployed people to participate. The number is based on existing financial options, on the total number of unemployed people actually participating and labour market demand in individual local environments. Given the urgency of eliminating the vocational structural imbalance among the unemployed, and the possibility of obtaining a larger share of funding for the programme, the Ministry of Labour, Family and Social Affairs (MLFSA) wishes to increase the number of participants in 2004/2005, and in any event will reach 15,000 participants in 2005/2006 at the latest. Education programme Envisaged number of participants Share (%) Primary education 400 3.6 Grammar school programme 45 0.4 Vocational education 905 8.1 Further professional education 1,055 9.5 Higher education and university programmes 625 5.6 Preparation for and/or accreditation of national vocational qualification certificate 2,100 18.8 Project learning for young adults 200 1.8 Litercy programmes 800 7.2 Continuing with education 3,175 28.5 TOTAL 11,140 100 Types of programme and number of places, 2004/2005 Implementation of procedures to acquire national vocational qualification certificates For some years, the programme has envisaged the inclusion of unemployed people in procedures to acquire national vocational qualification certificates. However, in past years the system, which like any innovation needs time to be built, still did not enable the implementation of all necessary procedures. The system at the time had been established to the extent of enabling participation. By August 2004, 66 catalogues of standards of professional knowledge and skills had been adopted, while the register of providers of accreditation procedures recorded 31 organisations.3 A public call to submit applications to assess the qualifications of applicants was published for the selection of providers to prepare for accreditation of national vocational qualifications for unemployed persons in Official Journal of Slovenia and 237 applicants were recognised as qualified. Envisaged results of the 10,000+ Programme At the end of the school year, 3,343 participants (30%) will have completed the programme (gained a vocation or national vocational qualification certificate), 1,000 participants (9%) will have completed certified adult education programmes, and 6,797 participants (61%) will continue education in the 2005/2006 school year. Financing the programme, and innovations introduced by the European Social Fund The total cost of the 10,000 Programme for 2004/2005 amounts to SIT 4,888,686,141 (SIT 1,180,280,789 must be provided in 2004, and SIT 3,708,405,352 in 2005). The programme will be co-financed on the basis of the financial plans of MLFSA and the Ministry of Education and Sport (MES) within the framework of the adopted Budget of RS for 2004 and 2005, and with funding from the European Social Fund and Slovenian participation to co-finance programmes of the European Social Fund, within the framework of priority task 2 of the Single Programming Document. Funding from the European Social Fund introduces innovations, particularly in procedures of programming, implementing, monitoring, assessment and financing at MLFSA, MES and the Employment Service of Slovenia as the programme provider. There are no significant changes for unemployed participants. Providers of educational programmes, accreditation procedures and preparations for accreditation of national vocational qualifications will have to pay somewhat more attention to regular monitoring the attendance of participants and providing information on cofinancing from the European Union. Ana Hrvat (ana.hrvat@gov.si), Ministry of Labour, Family and Social Affairs School for parents Lifelong learning for better parenting The family is of key importance for the development of a child's personality (physical and emotional security, material certainty, behavioural habits, thought patterns, values). Parents living in love and joy working together as partners can therefore offer children security, warmth and methods of good understanding. Today we know a great deal about the human person, since disciplines are multiplying, and knowledge from psychological, pedagogical and other related fields is expanding, but the question remains as to how to transfer the knowledge of experts to 'direct users'. All too often, knowledge circulates in closed professional circles. How can we open up such circles to make knowledge available in an acceptable and useful form to parents and teachers? With the increasing complexity of life, parents are overloaded with numerous obligations, and children are left to themselves. This leads to deficiencies in emotional and social development and the numerous related problems of growing up. Children bring these problems to school, which cannot solve all the problems alone. The school's first allies are the parents. Schools must therefore cultivate a 'healthy alliance' partnership with the parents of students. Federico Mayor, former director-general of Unesco, claims: "Only one pedagogy exists, the pedagogy of example. There is no other pedagogy." If this is true for teachers, it is even more so for parents. Children are like blotting paper, they absorb patterns of behaviour and feelings from their parents. They imitate their parents. Parents give to their children what they are. Thus any work towards personal development, new knowledge and newly acquired 'mini culture' of parents is also a treasure for children. Fernando de la Puente, principal and long-standing head of a school for parents, likes to ask the following question: "Parents, do you have a plan for raising up ? your child? Have you ever thought about the sort of person your child should develop into with your help? Have you discussed it with your partner? Straight away, we can sarcastically add: Don't worry, if you don't have an educational plan, I'm sure the street has it, as do the media, and your children's peers." Today we are setting precise goals, forming visions and planning activities in all areas of life. Why shouldn't parents better organise their lives as regards their children? Why should growing up be left to chance and to others? It's a question of who is leader of the child. Is that me - mother/ father - or somebody else? And where are they being led to? If the formal educators - parents and teachers - are not educational leaders, others will take on that role in the life of children and pupils. The school for parents is one form of parent education. It is simple and effective. For ten years, I have run a school for parents, and I encourage others to do likewise: in nursery schools, primary and secondary schools, in parishes. One participant, a mother, wrote the following at the end of the programme: "As I have four children, a job, a home, I'm always short of time, or at least I think I am. I can hardly wait when it's time for school for parents. I take the time to go, in fact to think about myself, my relationship towards my family, husband and children. So often during the week I'm tense, overburdened, and then I think that it's all too much, that my children could be better, but then in the school for parents, during lecturer's theme I start to reflect and I truly feel how much my children mean to me, I know that they are very good, and that I show these feelings to them all too little in the daily rush." Another wrote: "I gain strength from the school for parents in raising up ? my three children. Especially when I don't know how to show them my love and at the same time set rules for life." The school for parents discusses themes in the areas of learning, raising children, the family and personal development: the nature and methods of learning assistance, cultivating values, young people and the media, preparation for family life, aggressive children, hyperactive children, drug and alcohol addiction, communication in a marriage and family, vocational counselling? etc. It takes a village to raise a child A father says: "I liked the work methods. Personally, reading a book enabled me to think for myself about the contents, while the summary of individual chapters at meetings brought the book closer to me, including from the positions of others, and thus showed me the things I'd overlooked. Group discussions seemed to me very important due to the different experiences we exchanged, we talked to each other about different measures, and thus encouraged each other to think differently than we had before. Every parent has his or her own story, and each story is certainly worth listening to. In this way, you find out how children respond to different measures and also how other parents want to raise their children. The joint discussion gave us a broader perspective on the individual theme. After each meeting we went home a little better informed." Active forms of work give more opportunities for parents to encourage and motivate each other, to exchange experiences, to support each other. Thus commitment to raising children grows. In this way we build a "modern village", as is required according to an African proverb, for the good education of children. Children at different ages need different attention, and parents can learn with and alongside them. Social and cultural changes also dictate 'modernisation' in the area of family education. One female participant said: "I learnt that raising a child is not self-evident, that there is still much I can't learn on my own, and that it can be wonderfully achieved in the school for parents." We learn all the time. Silvo Šinkovec (silvo.sinkovec@rkc.si), editor of the journal Vzgoja INTERNATIONAL CO-OPERATION Contribution to innovation in European universities Project RESULTS One reason for the relatively slow modernisation of higher education with the help of modern technology in the countries of the European Union is the fact that those promoting and providing innovative pedagogical approaches are mainly younger educators, while university teachers, as the responsible designers of the development of higher education usually stand aside during such processes. In line with a long-standing tradition in European universities, they concentrate more on research work, the results of which are published in professional and scientific journals with high citation rates, while research for the social environment in which the university operates is less prominent and interesting. The basic purpose of the Regional Economic Sustainability and University Learning and Teaching Structures - RESULTS project is - by planned linking of research and teaching work - to motivate university teachers to actively co-operate in content and pedagogical modernisation of higher education. Those responsible for the RESULTS project believe that the common denominator of potential research and teaching innovations is precisely study of the role of the university in creating and transferring knowledge, and in establishing diverse networks to increase the efficiency of knowledge transfer. These questions are of strategic importance for the future of European universities. The project manager for RESULTS, which is financed under the Socrates programme, is Reutlingen University, European School of Business from Germany. The University of Newcastle and the University of Lincoln in the United Kingdom, the Catholic University of Piacenze in Italy, Oulu University in Finland and the Faculty of Economics of the University of Ljubljana are also participating in the project. The objective of the project is to develop a postgraduate education programme that would contribute to new knowledge and practical experience for students in creating knowledge and operating in international groups and links in a virtual environment. The programme will be carried out in two postgraduate seminars. The seminars will be supported by several workshops intended to provide practical training for educators and students for operating in a virtual environment. Another result envisaged for the project is the production of an e-base of relevant information sources and a manual for the implementation of a postgraduate virtual educational programme. So far, a content design has been prepared for the first educational seminar on the role of universities in regional development. Models have been defined in each country to incorporate the seminar into regular postgraduate programmes based on the European Credit Transfer System - ECTS, while working groups of university teachers, tutors and students have been selected. The first workshop organised to training tutors in the Blackboard virtual environment, which will be used as technical support for the educational programme. The first seminar will run for six weeks. During this time, five students from each university will discuss various aspects of regional networking, bearers, processes and institutions, and particularly the role of universities. The starting points for discussion will be specially prepared thematic group papers by students from participating universities, which will be exchanged weekly. The proposed themes for discussion are: the role of the concept of the innovative environment and regional development; industrial areas and regional development; geographic and sectoral characteristics of the external effects of academic knowledge; the role of the university in the local environment; sectoral characteristics of the direct impact of universities; the impact of research and development activities; and geographic aspects of innovation and production. These themes show the tangled interconnections, not just in the national environment, but particularly in international and global frameworks, and so implementation of the international virtual seminar is not just an educational but also a research challenge. We can expect the results of the seminar to shed light on the role of the higher-education sector in today's Europe, to contribute to better recognition and understanding of the specific features of individual environments and regions, and to provide direction for further research work. Each institution adapted the above general conditions to the specifics of its organisation and educational possibilities. At the Faculty of Economics, the virtual seminar will run in the Enterprise postgraduate programme as part of the Managing a small business subject, taught by Dr Vlado Dimovski. We are delighted that our invitation to students to participate received a very favourable welcome. The work experiences and areas of work of the six students selected promise creative participation in the programme. The thematic paper the students will present in the seminar will represent Slovenia as a learning region. We will begin the first seminar in the first week of November, and we await with interest the experience that will result from one of the first implementations of an international virtual seminar at the Master's level at the University of Ljubljana. Dr Lea Bregar (lea.bregar@ef.uni-lj.si), Faculty of Economics of the University of Ljubljana Cedefop seminars Study visit to France The European Centre for the Development of Vocational Training (Cedefop) is an agency of the European Union that assists the European Commission in the promotion and development of vocational and professional education and training on the European level1. Cedefop runs the European programme of study visits, which focus on specific areas of vocational and professional education for young people and adult training and education in participating countries2. The purpose of these visits is to promote the exchange of ideas and experience among experts in the fields of vocational and professional education, and to learn about education systems in other countries3. The study visit to Paris in October this year, in which I participated, was prepared on the theme of recognition of non-formal (random, ad hoc) learning, and the design and use of portfolios. The visit was organised by RACINE (Reseau d'Appui et de Capitalisation des Innovations Europeennes - RACINE4), which deals primarily with informing 1 See their website http://www.cedefop.eu.int/. 2 Countries participating in the programme are Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Greece, Ireland, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Hungary, Malta, Germany, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Turkey and the United Kingdom. 3 More information is available on the web: http://studyvisits.cedefop.eu.int and in the information materials available for the Centre for Mobility and European Education and Training Programmes. 4 For further information, see http://www.racine.fr. institutions and individuals of current European projects, with the distribution of all necessary reference documentation, and the preparation of a wide range of guides and technical aids in the registration or implementation of such projects. The group consisted of twelve participants from various educational institutions (mainly in the area of vocational training), education ministries, trade unions and universities from European Union countries (Belgium, Finland, Italy, Poland, Portugal, Slovenia and Spain). The study visit included numerous presentations, visits and meetings, while there was also plenty of time for lively discussion. Since the area of recognition of non-formal learning is currently a priority in Europe, participants were continually very active. Even those whose French was not so good did not let that stop them from playing an enthusiastic part in the discussion. Over five days, our hosts presented in considerable detail and from a wide range of perspectives their assessment (accreditation) system for knowledge and skills acquired through diverse experience (and thus informally), which - like it or not - all educational institutions must face - from the lowest to the highest level (universities), as they are required to do by the relatively new legislation adopted in January 2002 (within the framework of a law to modernise social activities). At one meeting, a candidate introduced herself who had obtained a university-level education through the recognition of work experience. We met representatives of the French Ministry of Labour, Employment and Social Affairs, the Association of Chambers (of commerce and industry), and various umbrella educational institutions, and we visited the Vocation City and the Mediterranean Club. The contents of the study visit were interesting, while the work was very dynamic. I am pleased that I took part, since it illuminated the problems discussed from very varied perspectives, enabling me to have a complex understanding of them. It is also very important that participants - in addition to theoretical solutions - also learn practical examples. I highly recommend such study visits, since participants learn about all the steps in the creation and introduction of activities related to a specific theme. Nataša Elvira Jelenc (natasa.elvira.jelenc@acs.si), SIAE InoKniHfi^Noii tuowfH tin « L tnmMcfl 3» bewnggn si ncrlfciris. Wo txia crxd work for a Drgtvr dcv W^f.Q'es mrlh hotj-lrjlinns N[J war. no Etrile S^Oli held its 5WOV w we Ihatol men free No "inr^ y-