Páginas

jueves, 12 de noviembre de 2015

ADULT EDUCATION IN SERBIA. ADULT ILLITERACY, AND BRAIN AND SERBIAN LANGUAGE. MID -LIFE CAREER

Definition of FUNCTIONAL ILLITERATE : a person who has had some schooling but does not meet a minimum standard of literacy

functional illiteracy noun
functionally illiterate adjective

This session will be delivered by Aleksandar Bulajic, MPhil
e-mail: aleksandar.bulajic.ff@gmail.com
Research and Lecturer Assistant, Faculty of Philosophy, Belgrade University


Serbia
Adult education is a very broad term, covering plenty of activities on different levels.The main definition is given in the Law on adult education, adopted in June 2013: "Adult education is integral part of the education system of the Republic of Serbia that provides to the adults the lifelong acquisition of competences and qualifications required for personal and professional development, work and employment, as well as socially responsible behavior." 
(...) 
Legal basis 
  • Law on Adult Education of the Republic of Serbia, adopted by the Serbian Government in June of 2013, came into force in January 2014;
  • Strategy for Adult Education and the Action Plan for the implementation of the Adult Education strategy;
  • Strategy for the Development of Vocational Education and Training;
  • Strategy for the Development of Education in Serbia 2012-2020;
  • Some aspects of adult education are regulated by laws from other areas – General Law on Education - The Law on the Foundations of Education and Upbringing, Law on Elementary Education, Law on Secondary Education;
  • Some relevant documents are in preparation – NQF, Skills vision 2020 – Serbia. 
Relevant umbrella associations and national (service) organisations
TThere are no relevant umbrella associations in the area of adult education. Similar types of organisations are:
  • Workers, People's and Open Universities Business Association
  • AES - Adult Education Society
  • DAS - Society of the Serbian andragogues
  • There are professional association in certain areas close to the adult education, such as "Association of human resource managers" and some others.
Services are provided by the responsible national bodies, chambers, agencies, NGOs etc. 
by Katarina Popovic is Secretary General of the International Council for Adult Education (ICAE) since July 2014. Katarina was professor at the Department for Andragogy / Adult  Education, Faculty of Philosophy of the University of Belgrade and visiting professor at several European universities. Katarina has a diploma in andragogy, obtained in Belgrade, Serbia, and PhD in philosophy and adult education, obtained at the University of Aachen, Germany.

Adult Illiteracy, Brain Architecture, and Empowerment of the Poor

The author explores a number of intriguing questions. How is it, for example, when many projects run successfully for a sustained period, that measures intended to improve the living conditions of the poorest of the poor fail, as was found in a World Bank Evaluation Department study? Have people living in extreme poverty a “brain architecture” that is different from that of people who do not live in poverty? Is there a difference in brain architecture between literate and illiterate people? And if so, do these differences in turn affect the success and sustainability of adults‘ learning, abstract thinking, memory, etc. And what conclusions need to be drawn? Helen Abadzi is an educational psychologist with a doctorate from the University of Texas at Arlington and an interest in the applications of cognitive science and memory research to improve the education of the poor. She is particularly interested in applying state-of-the art research to improve the effectiveness of adult literacy programs. She is Greek and a polyglot; since 1987 she has worked as an education specialist and senior evaluation officer at the Operations Evaluation Department of the World Bank (The indroduction of the paper Adult Illiteracy, Brain Architecture, and Empowerment of the Poor).


Second Chance Project

Unesco report. 2015 EDUCAtion all 2000-2015 achievements and challenges

Dragana Martic (ESOL) say:
ESOL and German Integration Courses represent state supported system of learning language to reach better integration into society which does not exist in this way in Serbia. Taking into consideration the integration/foreigners staying in Serbia and its legal basis (temporary or permanent stay, acquiring citizenship, issuing work permit etc.), knowledge of Serbian language/Life in Serbia (i.e. certificate as officially required document) is not a prerequisite to fit any of above mentioned requirements.
However, if you fall in love with Serbia or someone in Serbia, decide to stay for a while or forever in my country, or especially to study, the enrolment in Serbian Language for Foreigners courses is a right choice for you.
In general Serbian for Foreigners programs represent non-native classes divided into pre-determined levels of proficiency in topics such as speaking, reading, writing and grammar and has a long tradition in our society. Nowadays Serbian Language for Foreigners courses are mainly organized/developed by private training providers, profit-oriented and lacking quality assurance in terms of accreditation system. What they have in common are not mandatory/voluntary participations and the fees/tuitions are entirely responsibility of a participant.
Here are some interesting links illustrating wide range of possibilities regarding Serbian Language for Foreigners courses:

1. The Centre for Serbian as a foreign language, at the Faculty of Philology, Belgrade University offers the course of one academic year (winter and summer semesters); full time semester program, summer school or online course
(more about at: http://learnserbian.fil.bg.ac.rs/ )

2. The Institute for Foreign Languages  in Belgrade represents one of the oldest institutions of the kind in Serbia, organizes Serbian Language for Foreigners courses at four levels: A1, A2, B1, B2+ , develops and publishes distinctive training material
(more about at:  http://www.isj.rs/NASTAVA/serbianasforeignlang-e.htm )

3. Three Greek students who enrolled at Faculty of Engineering, University of Kragujevac, speak fluently  Serbian due to Serbian for Foreigners course at one private training provider/language school
(more about at:  http://www.patuljak.rs/en/article/language-courses/serbian-for-foreigners-1.html )

4. A private training provider offers a wide range of Serbian for Foreigners courses corresponding exactly to participant’s requirements (general, individual, online, intensive, conversational, business, specialized courses etc.)
(more about at: http://www.akademijaoxford.com/en/serbian-language-courses-for-foreigners.php )

Serbian language and others.

Serbian Language for Foreigners is a term usually used to refer to language provision for students coming to Serbia regardless the reason.
In terms of policy there is no national policy or strategy for learning Serbian language as a skill requirement for sustainable integration and citizenship. Although Serbian language skills are essential for success in labour market, for wider community engagement and support of children's education, access to language provision depends on individual initiative. Since there is no public funding, provision is paid by learners.
Many providers in private sector sets out language skills in Speaking Listening, Reading and Writing at levels:
Beginners I – A1, Beginners II – A2, Intermediate I – B1, Intermediate II – B1+;
A1 to C2 in Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR) for languages;
or tailor-made courses for different individual needs .
More about you can find at:
Center for Serbian as a foreign language http://learnserbian.fil.bg.ac.rs
Institute for foreign languages   http://www.isj.rs/NASTAVA/serbianasforeignlang-e.htm
Serbian language and culture workshop, Project “Serbian Language intensive Course”
http://www.srpskijezik.edu.rs/index.php?id=2400&jzk=en

Career Guidance, 2011.
Career guidance development trends in Serbia 2011 ENG.pdf

LIFELONG LEARNING. ADULT EDUCATION IN GERMAN.

The Verband der Volkshochschulen des Saarlandes is the professional association of the Saarland adult education centres. The members of the association are the 16 local adult education centres in Saarland, where every year approximately 120,000 participants take part in nearly 9,000 events.

DVV-international. Adult Education and development The Adult Education Centre as a Public Responsability.

The document provided is a position paper giving the self-understanding of German Adult Education Centres. It has been drawn up on a broad base, with participation of local centres all over Germany, the federal state associations and an advisory board of andragogists. The General Assembly of the German Adult Education Association (Deutscher Volkshochschul-Verband, DVV) agreed on the final version in March 2011.

For further and more detailed information you can check those web links: