Establishment of UNESCO Chair on Adult Education
Friday, June 1, 2018 — In behalf of the Vrije Universiteit Brussel and in cooperation with UNESCO and the Flemish UNESCO Commission in Belgium Prof. Dr. Maurice de Greef has been appointed as Chairholder of the UNESCO Chair on Adult Education, which has been established within the framework of the UNITWIN/UNESCO Chairs Programme (https://en.unesco.org/unitwin-unesco-chairs-programme). The Chair will part of the Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences Department of Educational Sciences. The inaugural speech will be planned in September of this year.
Maurice de Greef is visiting professor in Educational Sciences at the Vrije Universiteit Brussel and realised a dissertation (PHD) about the outcomes of adult education. In cooperation with Maastricht University he realised 70 studies in more than 100 communities and 8 countries concerning the impact and success factors of adult education. He managed local, regional and European projects in innovating learning-environments, strategic policy-making in adult education and developing strategies for approaching learners and realising new courses in local settings. He was member of the national board of non-formal adult education and responsible for the national conferences about adult education. Besides this he was member of the board of the national organisation for civil servants of education.
The strength of adult education
Nowadays society is still confronted with marginalized groups of inhabitants risking poverty and social exclusion. A strong strategy aiming increase of social inclusion next to employment among vulnerable citizens is still necessary. Although adult learning and education (ALE) can be supportive for sustainable development and can benefit different fields like well-being, health, social inclusion and employment, still in a lot of countries throughout the world vulnerable adults do not join or do not have the possibility to join adult education. Therefore investment in awareness raising of the surplus value of adult education and the (potential) infrastructure of adult education seems to be necessary. The UNESCO Chair on Adult Education would like to realise more quantitative research and sustainable monitoring on the impact of ALE. Furthermore the UNESCO Chair on Adult Education will encourage cooperation between different life-domains in order to increase funding opportunities and innovative pathways for learning for vulnerable adults.
More information: Prof. Dr. Maurice de Greef: [email protected]