EMLT Bulletin 06 (August) - EN

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AUGUST, 2015

6

LE L A IFE R L N O TU IN N R GI G K N EY

LIFELONG LEARNING IN TURKEY What is lifelong learning?

The concept of lifelong learning has emerged in line with the requirements of era for the purpose of keeping pace with the rapidly developing and changing social and cultural life; and has become an important indication in terms of educational level and employment conditions in developed and developing countries.

Lifelong learning is one of the basic concepts that is not limited to schools but may be realized at home and in every field of life and that shows learning may be continued without any obstacles notwithstanding of the age, social, economical status, and education level.

The purpose of lifelong learning is to improve the knowledge, skills and qualifications of individuals of different educational and age levels and improve their access to learning and thus realize a transition from a learning individual to a learning society and learning Turkey in order to ensure the employment of individuals and their socio-cultural development.

As lifelong learning (LL) starts to develop and gain importance, education has emerged as the principal component of all educational activities covering both scholastic and extra scholastic education independent of time and place. It was mentioned in Lifelong Learning Memorandum declared by the Commission of European Union in 2000 the following six fundamental strategies are required for the identification and expansion of LL and general framework of LL in 21st century was specified:

1. New basic skills for everyone

2. More investment in human resources 3. Development of innovations and new methods in education 4. Appreciating/documenting all kinds of training 5. Review of guidance and counseling services 6. Benefiting from information communication technology to reach sections having accessing difficulties through making education it familiar to learners as much as possible; LL approach for local and regional centered attempts; multi-purpose learning centers; benefiting from information networks for the learning society.

Learning continues “from cradle to grave” and may be realized at any age and anywhere independent from a certain age and location. LL covers all kinds of education and training including formal, non-formal, and free education. 10th Development Plan prepared with the philosophy of Qualified Person and Strong Society emphasizes that lifelong learning is one of the most important issues for the development of Turkey and notes: “The harmony between education system and labor force will be improved by providing skills and qualifications required by the business life from the point of view of lifelong learning, adopting the entrepreneurship culture, strengthening school-organization relation in vocational and technical education in consideration of middle and long term sector projections.”

In Turkey, the concept of lifelong learning is not new but the studies on developing the lifelong learning system accelerated as of 2000s. In this context, Lifelong Learning Strategies Document was prepared for 20092013 under the 9th Development Plan and it was accepted with the resolution rendered by Higher Planning Council on 05/06/2009 under no. 2009/21. It is aimed that the lifelong learning system, 2009-2013 term of which was started to be developed with Lifelong Learning Strategy Document of Turkey, will have a more systematic structure in line with the national and international approaches in the following term (2014-2018).

Improvement of the skills and entrepreneurship culture needed in the labor force market is of priority for the sustainable development and competitiveness of Turkey. Qualifications are updated all the time to ensure that the skills developed through vocational education meet the requirements of business life.

Strong education system providing high quality education system to everyone is the foundation of lifelong learning. The compulsory education period was increased to 12 years with the Law on Amendments to Specific Laws through the Primary Education and Training Law no. 6287 and this has been an important step taken for increasing the average education period of individuals.

The situations of countries in terms of lifelong learning are evaluated within the framework of data such as mainly the rate of participation to lifelong learning as well as vocational education activities, awareness of lifelong learning, etc.

Rate of Participation to Lifelong Learning The rate of participation to lifelong learning by the individuals between ages 25 and 64 within the last 4 weeks is taken as the basis for the measurement of the Rate of Participation to Lifelong Learning, the efficiency and results of lifelong learning systems. This rate is determined with Household Labor Force Survey1 applied by TUIK (Turkish Statistical Institute). Figure-1 shows the participation rates of Turkey and EU (27 Countries) to lifelong learning by years.

Figure 1. Participation Rates of Turkey and EU (27 Countries) to Lifelong Learning by Years (Percentage) 10 09 08 07 06 05 04 03 02 01

9,5

9,3

9,4

9,3

9,1

8,9

9

AB (27 COUNTRY)

1,8

1,5

2006

2007

Source : EUROSTAT. 2013

1,9 2008

2,3 2009

2,5 2010

2,9 2011

3,2 2012

The change in participation rates of EU countries to lifelong learning may be observed on Figure 1 for the time between 2006 and 2012. In Turkey, the participation rate to lifelong learning raised from 1,8 percent in 2006 to 3,2 percent in 2012. This rate in EU (27 countries) decreased from 9,5 percent in 2006 to 9 percent in 2012. This shows that the target of EU for 2010 was below 12,5 percent and for 2020 was below 15 percent. Although there has been a progress in participation rates of Turkey to LL in the last seven years, it is evident that planned efforts should be made to reach the targets of EU with the current participation rate of 3,2 percent. The document aims at raising this value by improving the presentation, awareness of, and access to lifelong learning.

Lifelong Learning in the European Union Rapidly multiplying information and improving technology increased the educational needs of individuals.

The occurrence of technological innovations increased and the technologies are changing in short periods in production and serving sector. Rapid developments in science and technology result in revolutionary changes in social, cultural, political, and economic fields. Such rapid transition caused the countries in European continent to come together for the purpose of maintaining their power against other strong countries and being more effective in world politics. European Community was considered as an economic association at first but also joint projects were started to be developed on social issues such as culture, education, etc. in the following years. Generally following targets are considered in the determination of the projects and policies developed (Sezgin, 2001).

•

Adaptation to information society

•

Improvement of competitive power

•

Free circulation of manpower

•

Increase in employment

European Union (EU) attached specific importance to education through commission decisions and projects after 1990s and member countries were required to adopt such decisions. EU does not intervene directly to the educational programs of countries. Rather it develops projects regarding the general issues of educational systems. Moreover, EU collects information about the education systems of member states and follows the changes in education systems of member states.

The union also focuses significantly on lifelong learning. EU commission made a study on this issue titled Towards the Learning Society in 1995. 1996 was accepted as the European year of lifelong learning with the resolution of commission. In 2000, a new notification was published.

There are objectives and applications regarding lifelong learning also in other educational projects of EU. Some of the basis of Leonardo da Vinci program conducted towards vocational education filed in European Union are related with lifelong learning. Furthermore, one of the priorities of program is contributing to lifelong learning by using the means of information society (Duman, 2002). The strategies and projects prepared in EU are conducted and financed jointly with all the member states. Lifelong learning mainly covers the issues such as employment, unemployment, and bringing school and industry together. There are also objectives such as language learning and the combat exclusion.

Policies, decisions, strategies, and projects have been developed with regards to lifelong learning. In Turkey, awareness of the decisions and policies of EU regarding lifelong learning would ease further adaptation in the educational field. This study would supply resources to those concerned by providing the objectives of

lifelong learning in EU, the primary target audience, and the results of applications.

Moreover, how the concept of lifelong learning is understood in EU and what is done to the extent of theory and practice concerns Turkey, being a candidate country, closely.

UNESCO educational development commission assembled in 1972 and resolved that education is a lifelong activity. It was stated that education prepared individuals to society not yet present.

Suggestions of international educational commission of UNESCO in 1972 were as follows: •

It is wrong to limit education with school age and school buildings.

•

Education must be considered as the fundamental component of the entire educational activity covering both scholastic and extra-scholastic training.

•

Educational activities should be more flexible.

•

In short, education should be designed as an existential sustainability long as life.

In the report published by OECD in 1973 titled “a strategy for lifelong learning”, lifelong learning was deemed necessary with regards to occupational mobility and personal learning in the environment of global economy and competition (EURYDICE, 2000). Since the establishment of EU, it has been viewed mainly as an economic structure. EU did not have any project regarding education until the 1970s. First report on education was the report titled the Memorandum of Higher Education in European Community prepared in 1973. Second one is the notification of Open Remote Education in European Community published in the same year. Programs serving in different fields of education entered into effect as of the middle of 1980s.

First text on continuous education is the green paper prepared in 1993.

This text stipulated bringing continuous vocational education system to a systematic structure for the purpose of allowing the unemployed find work in the labor market again. This text gave wide coverage to furnishing current labor force with skills suitable to today’s technology and labor market through vocational technical education.

Another report is the White Paper, a resolution of the commission. It was prepared in 1995. It was titled “Towards the Learning Society: Learning and Teaching”. It has determined the objectives of union and those required to be done in terms of lifelong learning. Another lifelong learning activity was announcing 1996 as the European year of lifelong learning. The objectives, principles, and strategies of lifelong learning were determined through commission decisions.

In 2000, the activities performed in the name of lifelong learning in EU member states were reported by EURYDICE. Again in 2000, a lifelong learning notification was published. Other than those texts mentioned, there are practices on lifelong learning also in projects prepared on various issues of EU. There is the objective of transformation into a learning society involving all the sections through the reports and commission decisions. The decisions also have a tangible aspect towards their implementations. For instance, not only the ministers of education shall be present in commission decisions on education but also social groups and representatives of the industrial sections shall be present.

In accordance with the report, there are three important facts that the European society of today is facing: •

Radical changes in business organizations and production processes through the expansion of information Technologies,

•

Economic globalization,

•

Rapid expansion of scientific information and technologies resulting from such information.

Rapid developments in information technologies both facilitated production of scientific information and allowed its expansion. Accelerated globalization started in economy and social structure. Such changes have been positive to a large extent. Despite of all these positive developments, EU also faced the following problems:

•

Changes in population •

Cultural encounters •

Environmental issues •

Social marginalization •

Threats against democracy A White Paper was published for the purpose of overcoming the foregoing facts and problems.

Objectives of White Paper 1.

Encouraging

Individuals

New Information

to

Gain

The commission specified three different subjects to achieve this objective in EU level.

1.1. Recognition of Skills It is aimed at ensuring that all European countries attempt to identify key skills and the best ways of acquiring, assessing and certifying them. It is proposed to set up a European certification system to serve for this purpose.

Most important stage here would be setting up an accreditation system. Formation of this system is defined by the commission as a huge step towards the learning society. Personal skills cards would be obtained by setting up this system. The knowledge and skills would be recognized upon preparation of such card.

European accreditation system covers technical and vocational skills. This system involves higher education establishments, businesses, vocational sectors, local chambers of commerce and the social partners. Key skills, transparency in certifications, and distribution of responsibilities in the process of certification are important in the recognition of skills.

1.2. Mobility European Union attaches great importance to mobility for creating a common culture. Student mobility has been made easier to a large extent with the resolution of board of directors in 1993. The students are able to study some part of their education in one of the member states, if they wish. Credit transfer system (ECTS) was generated for maintaining mobility without any problem.

1.3. Multimedia Education Software It is aimed at expanding multimedia software expected to have important function in gaining new information.

Enhancing software in education and using EU products in schools was encouraged.

2. Bringing Schools and Business Sector Together It is aimed at building or strengthening bridges between the schools and workplaces. Three conditions must be fulfilled in order to bring schools and business life together.

2.1. Education must be opened up to the world of work.

Education institutions should determine the needs of business life, seek knowledge of enterprises for the changes in production processes, and evaluate educational practices.

2.2. Companies must be involved also in training.

The companies must be involved in the training of not only workers but also young people and adults. A chance should be given to those who were failed by the traditional education systems. This may be another way for the companies to supply specific labor force.

2.3. Cooperation must be developed between schools and firms.

The relation between schools and business world must be strengthened through apprenticeship and trainee projects. This system is also suitable for all qualification levels and in higher education, business and engineering schools.

Apprenticeship and trainee system should encourage providing required qualifications for the person within the job and through personal experiences. The students were provided with international experience and in-house training opportunities through Erasmus, Leonardo Da Vinci, and green paper in the development of apprenticeship system. In addition, establishing networks among apprenticeship centers and facilitating mobility of apprentices are ongoing studies.

New occupations should be stimulated in vocational training. Especially training opportunities should be provided for new occupations in the serving sector. There are increasing demands to the products of computer and information technologies. There is the need for technicians and engineers to fulfill such demands.

3. Combat Exclusion The development of economies and the constraints of competitiveness have led to several categories of the population. These categories are: •

young people without qualifications,

•

older workers,

•

long-term unemployed,

•

women re-entering the job market

White paper stated that these kind of people were excluded from employment and society. In order to curb this process of marginalization, Member States have launched a series of measures such as back-to-work.

White paper developed two types of measures for the combat with exclusion.

3.1. Second chance project School system is the first chance for people; however, there are also those who quite often do not have a suitable family and social setting to enable them to benefit from this opportunity. Young people added to the society without qualifications hope finding a job and thus integrating into society. New centers of learning must be established for this purpose. Teachers are needed in such centers who know in-company training, provide new incentives, and using multimedia. Teachers with related skills and qualifications should be employed with higher salary in these centers. Such an application is currently serving in the USA in tenement districts as “accelerated schools”.

3.2. European Voluntary Service Voluntary services provide young people with the chance to work serving the common good. This service allows young people serve either in their own country or in a developing one. Many voluntary youth services were established in member states upon decision of European parliament. These services achieved many things with especially problematic guests in the union and in developing countries through team work.

Voluntary youth organizations were established in USA in 1961 under Peace Corps. This organization served in developing countries including Turkey. This organization continues its activities mainly in African, Former Eastern Bloc countries as well as Middle Asian Turkic Republics. The voluntary organization called Americorps was established in 1992. Its purpose is to help those groups in need in USA(10).

4. Proficiency in Three Community Languages Language proficiency has become a prerequisite for those who wish to benefit from personal and vocational opportunities upon termination of borders in the Common Market. Proficiency in three languages would affect adaptation to the environment and success in business positively. Language is needed for a healthy European civilization and culture. Multi-lingualism is the prerequisite for the European civilization and learning society. At the same time, foreign language proficiency is necessary for international mobility.

Language learning has double importance for the business life. Foreign language both improves the general cultural level of individual and provides advantages when he/she is employed. Foreign language speakers may work in his/her country or in another country in the union, if he/she wishes.

A system should be established for determining the materials and methods used in learning the language of union. Adults, the low-qualified, and children groups should be considered in determining language teaching methods. It is useful to start language teaching at preschool level.

5. Treat capital investment and investment in training on an equal basis.

Just as facilities like tax reduction, etc. are provided during establishment of plants, such facilities must be provided also during the establishment of educational institutions, because first condition of competition and employment is investments to skills. It must be realized that investments in education and training ensure the cycle of economic life.

CONCLUSION AND SUGGESTIONS Lifelong learning activities of EU have been defined mainly in the white paper titled “teaching and learning� towards the learning society published in 1995. Decisions in this paper are binding upon all union members. Therefore, whether the targets of report are achieved is checked per years and improved.

Developments regarding lifelong learning were listed in the commission report of 2000. The European voluntary organization allowed young people design their own way and socialize in the union. Furthermore, the second chance project was implemented in 1999 in order to prevent social exclusion of young people failing to benefit from the school system due to various reasons.

Personnel skills cards were welcomed but necessary participation could not be provided. Projects were also initiated by citizens, business world, and professional organizations for the accreditation of skills.

Practices were performed in Leonardo da Vinci and Socrates programs for the purpose of bringing schools and business sector together and ensuring proficiency in community languages, and satisfactory results were obtained. Moreover, treating capital investments and educational investments on an equal basis is one of the primary objectives of Leonardo da Vinci program. Again, 500 European companies came together and started working on projects to reach one of the objectives of white paper which is developing software in education.

It is observed that decisions are taken in EU with regards to lifelong learning and the developments in application are always checked.

Following may be suggested for enhancing the efficiency of lifelong learning in Turkey: •

Globalizing economy and increasing competition demonstrated that lifelong learning should serve to mainly improving employment and increasing profitability.

•

Private sector and personal investments should be encouraged in addition to public investments in lifelong learning.

•

Project should be developed to ensure that those fail to enter colleges have occupations in the business life.

•

Compulsory education should be improving self-learning skills of individuals and preparing them to lifelong learning.

•

Lifelong learning should provide experiences in favor of those who benefited very less or could not benefit from educational opportunities.

•

Relation should be established between educational institutions and business world (especially small and medium scale companies).

•

Awareness of the entire society should be increased through activities and multimedia.

•

People are responsible for their own training, learning, and personal developments in lifelong learning. Therefore, individuals should be provided with suitable guidance and counseling.

•

Individuals should be provided with the skills to reach information by using multimedia software and networks in lifelong learning.

•

Information technologies products should be used in lifelong learning activities and all school levels.

You can get the Comparative matrix of Lifelong Learning Systems here: http://emlt.eu/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/Matrix-to-compare-LLL-systems_28Sept_Country_Cross.pdf

REFERENCES 1. EUROSTAT learning

(2013)

by

Participation

years,

%

.

Rates Taken

of

Turkey

from

and

EU

(27

countries)

to

lifelong

http://epp.EUROSTAT.ec.europa.eu/tgm/table.

do?tab=table&init=1&language=en&pcode=tsdsc440&plugin=on 20.09.2013.

2. Grand National Assembly of Turkey (2012) Law on Amendments to Specific Laws through the Primary Education and Training Law. Official Journal of April 11, 2012, issue no. 28261 3. Lifelong Learning Strategies Document of Turkey (2009-2013), Lifelong Learning Action Plan, Ministry of Education of Republic of Turkey, Ankara 4. Turkish Statistical Institute (TUIK) (2010) Rate of Entrepreneurs providing Vocational Training per sizes, % 5. Turkish Statistical Institute (TUIK) (2010b) Distribution of Registered Disabled People per education status, Research on Problems and Expectations of the Disabled, Ankara 6. Turkish Statistical Institute (TUIK) ADNKS (2012) Civil Registry System based on Addresses, taken from http://rapor.tuik.gov.tr/reports/rwservlet?adnksdb2&ENVID=adnksdb2Env&report=wa_ turkiye_cinsiyet_yas_egitim_top.RDF&p_xkod=egitim_kod&p_yas=15&p_yil=2012&p_ dil=1&desformat=html on 02.11.2013.

7. Turkish Statistical Institute (TUIK) (2013) Non-formal education provided by ministries and institutions other than the Ministry of Education and Directorate of Religious Affairs per years, taken from http:// www.tuik.gov.tr/PreTablo.do?alt_id=1018 on 20.07.2013.

8. Turkish Statistical Institute (TUIK) (2013b) Child Labor Power Survey Results, News Bulletin, Number 13659, April.

9. 10th Development Plan, Ministry of Development of Republic of Turkey, Ankara.

10. S. İlhan Sezgin. EU Training, Learning, and Youth Policies, Turkish-EU Relations Symposium, Ankara Ofset, Ankara, 2001, p.329.

11. Tayyip Duman. European Union Educational Programs “Leonardo da Vinci Program” National Education Journal, Issue: 150, (April, May, June), p.77-78.

12. EURYDICE. Lifelong Learning: The Contribution Of Education Systems In The Member States Of The European Union, Results Of The EURYDICE, Survey, March, 2000, s.7.

13. White Paper: Towards the Learning Society (8) (8) Review Of Reactions to The White Paper “Teaching and learning: Towards the Learning Society” Commission of The European Communities, Com(97) 256 Final, 29.05.1997, Brussels.

14. Objectives of European Year of Lifelong Learning (12) (12) Amended Proposal For a European Parliament And Council Decision Establish a European Year Of Lifelong Learning, Commission of The European Communities, Com(95) 124 Final, 31.03.1995, Brussels.

15. Report-COM(1999) 750 final On 10 January 2000 the Commission presented its report on the implementation of the White Paper “Teaching and learning: towards a learning society, www.europa. eu.int/scadplus/leg/en/cha/c11028.htm

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