Tag Archives: lifelong learning

Reading beyond numbers: Literacy education and assessment in the Republic of Korea

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UIL Visiting Researcher Soyoun Park, Professor in the College of Liberal Arts at Anyang University, Republic of Korea, shares insights from her experience developing, implementing and evaluating the Korean Adult Literacy Survey (KALS) as part of a small research team since 2013.

© National Institute for Lifelong Education (NILE)

The Republic of Korea is frequently introduced as a high-literacy country, supported by strong international assessment results, near-universal school enrolment and rapid digital adoption. These indicators are important, yet they tell only part of the story. Literacy is not experienced equally across the population, nor is it shaped by schooling alone.

The real story of literacy lies beyond the numbers. It is shaped by history, inequality, ageing and the evolving meaning of what it means to be literate in everyday life. In an ageing society marked by historical disruption and socioeconomic inequality, literacy reflects lived experience, social participation and access to learning opportunities across the life course. Understanding literacy in the Republic of Korea therefore requires moving beyond performance rankings. It requires attention to who benefits from educational success, who remains excluded and how literacy functions in everyday civic, social and digital life.

The Republic of Korea’s literacy landscape is deeply rooted in its modern history. Many older adults lived through Japanese colonial rule, the Korean War and rapid industrialization, often with limited or interrupted access to formal education. These experiences continue to shape literacy levels among today’s older population.

At the same time, the Republic of Korea has entered a super-aged society, with more than 20 per cent of its population aged 65 or older. This demographic shift intersects with urban concentration, digital transformation and expanding cultural content. As a result, literacy policy must simultaneously address historical educational deprivation and new demands for digital and social participation.

In response to these challenges, the Republic of Korea has developed an integrated adult literacy system that links education, assessment and governance. Since 2006, national programmes have supported adults with low educational attainment through tailored curricula in basic literacy and, more recently, digital literacy. By 2023, approximately 720,000 adults had participated in these programmes, reflecting sustained public investment in literacy as a social responsibility and recognizing it as a human right.

Assessment plays a particularly distinctive role. Adult learners can obtain formal academic recognition equivalent to primary or lower secondary education through portfolio-based evaluation. This approach values learning accumulated through formal, non-formal and informal contexts and reinforces the idea that literacy development continues throughout life rather than ending with schooling. A portfolio-based approach also acknowledges that some adults may prefer not to sit an exam, as it may remind them of past negative experiences.

The Republic of Korea’s commitment to evidence-based policy is reflected in its national adult literacy surveys. The Korean Adult Literacy Survey (KALS), conducted every three years since 2014, relies on direct performance-based assessment rather than self-reported skills. This approach allows for a more precise understanding of literacy levels and how they change over time.

Survey results show gradual improvement in overall literacy levels between 2014 and 2023, alongside a declining proportion of adults at the lowest levels. However, persistent disparities remain. Older adults – particularly those over 70 with low household income – continue to face the greatest risk of low literacy.

Despite their age, they need literacy skills, for example to navigate an increasingly digital society. Beyond demographic factors, social participation, life satisfaction and political interest are strongly associated with literacy outcomes, highlighting literacy’s role in social inclusion and civic engagement.

Looking ahead, the Republic of Korea’s literacy agenda requires a shift in perspective. Rather than focusing solely on headline indicators, there is a need to interpret literacy data more deeply, compare findings across national and international frameworks such as the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) Survey of Adult Skills (PIAAC), and broaden the concept of literacy itself. This means asking how literacy relates to lived experience, how different assessment systems illuminate different dimensions of competence, and how emerging forms of digital and social participation reshape what it means to be literate.

The Republic of Korea’s experience demonstrates that numbers are essential starting points, but not endpoints. Literacy gains meaning only when quantitative evidence is read alongside historical context, social inequality and life-course perspectives. Reading beyond the numbers allows literacy to be understood not merely as a measurable outcome, but as a foundation for dignity, participation and lifelong learning.

Upholding the right to education in a transforming world: Reflections from the outgoing Chair of UIL’s Governing Board

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As his term as Chair of the UIL Governing Board comes to a close, Daniel Baril reflects on the strategic priorities, achievements and enduring challenges that have shaped his tenure.

© UNESCO Institute for Lifelong Learning

Last 1 January marked the end of my term as Chair of the Governing Board of the UNESCO Institute for Lifelong Learning (UIL). It was an honour to chair an institute that holds a unique place within the UNESCO system.

Since its founding in 1952, UIL has provided recognized intellectual leadership to UNESCO Member States and to the international adult education community. It helps shape both reflection and action on lifelong learning, while carrying a vital responsibility: defending and advancing the right to adult education. Serving as Chair of its Governing Board, therefore, comes with both an opportunity – and a duty – to keep this mandate alive in today’s context.

My term, which began in January 2020, unfolded amid a period of rapid transformation in the education landscape. Throughout it, I sought – within my means – to promote two perspectives that I considered strategic.

The first concerns the profound evolution of lifelong learning realities. Ways of learning are diversifying under the combined influence of digital technologies and artificial intelligence. At the same time, learning design now offers a broad spectrum of modalities – face-to-face, online, hybrid and blended – and an expanding range of formats, from microlearning to full-length programmes. Practices are also evolving: self-directed learning, peer learning, learning communities, recognition of prior learning, and more. In this context, I considered it essential that UIL embrace these developments as broadly as possible to remain closely aligned with lived realities and with the futures of adult learning.

The second perspective lies at the heart of UIL’s historic mission: the defence of the right to education. A striking paradox defines our era. On the one hand, we now have an unprecedented array of educational resources, pedagogical approaches and technological capacities that could, in principle, meet everyone’s learning needs. On the other hand, dramatic inequalities persist – whether in access, quality, continuity of learning pathways or recognition of learning. I therefore made it a point, whenever the opportunity arose, to reaffirm a simple requirement: educational resources should serve to strengthen the effective conditions for exercising the right to education – not the other way around.

Certain milestones stood out as defining moments of this term. The Seventh International Conference on Adult Education (CONFINTEA VII), held in 2022, was one of them. Through my participation in the conference’s organizing committee and my role as Chair of the drafting committee for its final declaration, I was able to support a broad vision of adult learning and education – one that expands the educational capacity that people can mobilize to make the right to adult education real. In this same spirit, the emphasis placed on financing in the Marrakech Framework for Action, as well as the open approach to expanding the domains of learning, clearly reflect these concerns.

At the end of these years, I take one thing above all: serving as Chair and spokesperson for UIL’s leadership in promoting an ambitious understanding of lifelong learning – rooted in the implementation of the right to education – was an honour.

But chairing UIL also means grasping how fragile the resources are that sustain such an essential mission. A competent and committed team cannot support Member States in implementing lifelong learning policies without adequate financial means. I leave this term with a clear sense of a persistent tension: that of a fundamental mission, carried forward with conviction, confronted with limited resources that too often impose difficult trade-offs.

The evolving right to education in the age of generative AI

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In his October 2025 address at the Shanghai Open University 2025 International Conference on Digital Lifelong Learning, Daniel Baril, Chair of the UNESCO Institute for Lifelong Learning Governing Board, explored how generative artificial intelligence (AI) and digital technology are fundamentally transforming education – and why this necessitates an updated framework for the right to education. This blog summarizes his remarks.

© Shutterstock_SvetaZI

What has changed

Generative AI has moved rapidly from the periphery to the centre of educational practice in just two years. While public education systems continue to pilot these technologies cautiously, well-funded private edtech companies and AI vendors are advancing quickly, creating pressures around speed, personalization and scale that challenge public institutions.

Two critical developments merit attention. First, AI-assisted self-regulated learning is becoming widespread among adults. Recent research shows that approximately 10 per cent of adults globally use ChatGPT, with 49 per cent of interactions focused on learning activities, including tutoring, creative development, health and cooking. This represents a significant shift towards self-directed learning enabled by generative AI.

Second, a ‘replacement phenomenon’ is emerging, as general-purpose AI platforms absorb functions previously performed by specialized edtech companies. Major AI firms – Anthropic, OpenAI and Google – have launched educational services, blurring the boundaries between AI platforms and edtech. This convergence threatens to reshape market dynamics and governance structures, potentially disrupting both traditional education systems and the edtech sector itself.

The trajectory is moving from episodic, provider-led instruction to blended, conversational, multimodal learning environments accessible anytime, anywhere –offering unprecedented opportunities to realize the ideals of lifelong learning.

Emerging learning technologies

Three transformative technologies are reshaping education:

  • Intelligent virtual assistants now function as always-on tutors and coaches, providing immediate access to knowledge, scaffolded help, and adaptive support across topics and languages.
  • Modern learning management systems now incorporate AI to automate content curation, infer learners’ skills, adapt learning pathways and deliver personalized feedback at scale.
  • AI-generated immersive content enables the creation of lessons, assessments and augmented/virtual reality simulations from simple prompts – lowering production barriers and enabling safe, repeatable practice experiences.

Together, these technologies expand access, enable real-time personalization and support authentic learning at scale. However, they also shift the cognitive and social dimensions of learning, placing greater emphasis on metacognition and AI literacy, as learners increasingly ‘converse with knowledge’. In this context, educators are moving towards coaching and facilitation roles while safeguarding inclusion and educational integrity.

In this rapidly shifting landscape, generative AI has come to the forefront of learning, reshaping how adults direct their own learning and how emerging technologies redefine teaching, personalization and the broader edtech ecosystem. These transformations invite a renewed reflection on how best to effectively deliver the right to education.

A right to education for the generative AI age

UNESCO’s 2021 initiative to evolve the right to education responds to the realities of the twenty-first century. Digitalization has expanded access to learning while exposing vulnerabilities in connectivity, accessibility, data protection and linguistic diversity. The initiative aims to extend the right to education across all ages and learning settings, operationalize the traditional ‘4 As’ (availability, accessibility, acceptability, adaptability) in digital contexts, and introduce accountability as a fifth principle.

Current policy debates focus on enshrining learning continuity, recognizing and validating all forms of learning, treating connectivity and digital devices as guaranteed common goods, embedding digital safeguards, ensuring digital literacy, clarifying rights around adult reskilling, regulating digital provision and protecting vulnerable populations.

The COVID-19 pandemic accelerated digital transformation dramatically. By October 2020, 1.6 billion learners had been displaced and 90 per cent of countries had adopted some form of online instruction. This pivot revealed deep inequalities in access to devices and connectivity, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa, rural areas and among marginalized populations.

Generative AI amplifies the urgency of these challenges. As AI firms increasingly take on the role of education service providers, questions arise about privatization, standards, accountability and the public interest. Safeguarding the right to education demands policy frameworks that promote equity, quality, protection and learner autonomy.

Conclusion

Realizing the promise of AI in education requires intentional design and public governance. Without these, risks include opacity, exclusion and default privatization. To counter this, we must advocate for public AI infrastructure – public algorithms, datasets and learning platforms – to ensure inclusive, equitable and quality learning opportunities throughout life.

The goal is ‘co-intelligence’, combining the best of artificial intelligence capabilities with the best of human intelligence, guided by a rights-based public mission to achieve UNESCO’s vision of lifelong learning for all, as set out in Sustainable Development Goal 4.

Climate champions: How young people are nurturing lifelong learning for climate action

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Young people are playing a crucial role in promoting lifelong learning for climate action, writes UNESCO Institute for Lifelong Learning (UIL) greening communities consultant Katie Jones. Their importance as change agents in various initiatives should be recognized and shows how critical it is that they are fully engaged in efforts to build sustainable communities.

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As a young woman who has been championing the role of Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) in addressing the climate crisis at both the policy and practice level, I am convinced of the transformative power of inclusive learning opportunities for promoting climate action. I am pleased to have been witness to countless initiatives that clearly demonstrate how young people, in particular, are well-placed to act as powerful agents of change, fostering climate learning in a range of spaces – from classrooms to local festivals. We are, and will continue to be, disproportionately affected by the consequences of the climate crisis, inheriting a host of sustainability challenges in our communities. From increasingly extreme weather events to health hazards associated with climate change, we will face a wide variety of difficulties for years to come – at a time when we are witnessing the largest youth generation in history, according to the UN.

Lifelong learning (LLL) is increasingly viewed as a key component of our global mission to tackle the climate crisis and build regenerative communities. This was highlighted at the United Nations (UN) Climate Change Conference (COP 29) last year through the Baku Initiative on Human Development for Climate Resilience – a global commitment aimed at advancing human development and strengthening climate resilience through education and learning. The initiative notes that ‘education is a key enabler for innovative solutions to climate change by ensuring that people are empowered with the knowledge, skills, values and attitudes needed to act as agents of change’ (p. 2). In local communities worldwide, we as young change agents are both promoting and benefiting from inclusive LLL opportunities that foster climate action.

As the UN notes, we are ‘valuable contributors to climate action’. Our creativity, drive and passion for addressing global challenges as lifelong learners are ensuring that we, the youth, are at the forefront of many efforts to fight climate change. This is reflected in our engagement in awareness-raising campaigns, local decision-making structures and non-formal learning programmes.

Across the globe, structures are in place to support us in our efforts as agents of change working towards a greener society. Examples include the UNESCO Youth Climate Action Network, the World Organization of the Scout Movement’s emphasis on protecting the environment and the Youth and United Nations Global Alliance (YUNGA).

In addition to these, inspiring initiatives have been established to equip specific sub-groups of youth to act as changemakers in their communities. For example, the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and partners, including UIL, organized a summer camp to equip young educators to confidently teach climate change education in the context of COP 29. Meanwhile, members of the UNESCO Global Network of Learning Cities (GNLC) are advancing tailored efforts to work with us young people to promote LLL for climate action.

Ahead of the Sixth International Conference on Learning Cities (ICLC 6), hosted in Jubail, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, in December 2024, UIL organized a youth forum. This brought together young changemakers and local government officials from across the globe to explore topics related to LLL for climate action. I was very pleased to have taken part in this event, during which a series of recommendations were made on working with youth to advance awareness-raising campaigns, address climate anxiety and develop inclusive decision-making processes. I was particularly struck by the energy, enthusiasm and commitment of the young representatives participating, as well as by the concrete actions they were already taking in cities worldwide to promote climate action among individuals of all ages. Potential ways forward shared by participants were both creative and innovative, but also rooted in local realities, while demonstrating a clear awareness of key challenges we continue to face.

Recommendations from the youth forum were reflected in the ICLC 6 outcome document, the Jubail Commitment to Climate Action in Learning Cities. This calls for young people to be given ‘spaces and funding for youth-led projects, networks and climate advocacy initiatives’ (p. 3). I firmly believe that such spaces have great scope to help in addressing issues like climate anxiety, by providing arenas for solidarity, exchanging on common concerns and co-creating constructive, action-oriented solutions. It is also worth mentioning that the Jubail Commitment recommends fostering learning opportunities that harness new technologies and align with the communication styles of younger generations – something that is key to engaging with diverse youth groups in communities worldwide.

While working with youth as change agents presents many opportunities, there are also risks. One is the risk of tokenism, whereby collaborating with younger generations is treated as a ‘tick box to be checked’ (p. 7). As a young person myself, I find tokenistic approaches not only frustrating, but also potentially demotivating, in some instances. Consistently involving us young people in decision-making processes, giving us the tools to set up our own climate learning programmes and truly recognizing our value as changemakers are key to avoiding this. We have a lot to bring to the table – including creative, innovative strategies that integrate digital technologies to pragmatic solutions to make climate action more inclusive. In this sense, establishing youth climate councils or youth forums can also be fruitful.

It is also important to avoid placing the entire burden of fostering LLL for climate action on us young people, which could potentially stoke climate anxiety. Intergenerational learning opportunities that engage older learners, younger learners and everyone in between can help to distribute responsibility more fairly.

Finally, in some communities, certain sub-groups of youth may face barriers to accessing climate learning opportunities. Empowering young people from diverse backgrounds to drive LLL for climate action is not just beneficial – it is essential. By implementing targeted outreach strategies, interactive workshops and dynamic learning programmes, we can transform this vision into reality.

Partnering with us as catalysts for change can help to ensure that LLL for climate action is deeply embedded in society. There is a need to act now – the sooner we can all work together effectively through a systemic approach, the sooner our individual actions will add up to drive forward cohesive climate action. By acting swiftly, we increase our chances of saving our oceans, forests, biodiversity, and the ecosystems that depend on them. Equipping us with the knowledge and skills to lead the way will not only strengthen our competencies but also lay the foundation for more sustainable, resilient communities in which we can all work collaboratively to build a regenerative future together.

Education across borders: Seventy years of the International Review of Education

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As the UNESCO Institute for Lifelong Learning (UIL) launches an online exhibition to celebrate 70 years of continuous publication of the International Review of Education (IRE), editor Paul Stanistreet considers the significance of the anniversary and explains how UIL plans to mark it

Fifty years ago this month, in March 1955, the UNESCO Institute for Education (UIE) published the first issue of a new journal, the International Review of Education.

Founded in Hamburg in 1952, UIE, under the directorship of Walther Merck, Professor of Comparative Education at the University of Hamburg, was mandated to “establish contacts between educators in Germany and other countries … without prejudice arising from national, racial or cultural differences” and “to participate in the work of UNESCO … to maintain peace in the world and to carry out educational programmes for international understanding”.

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Third places: Where democracy and inclusion come to life

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UIL Library volunteer Josefine Sandwall reflects on the importance of ‘third places’, drawing from her personal experience as a ‘book’ in a Living Library.

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Human connection is at the heart of our lives and societies. Being part of an inclusive community – where we engage with diverse perspectives – shapes not just who we are as individuals, but also how we see the world. It influences our values, beliefs, and even political opinions. When nurtured in a democratic space, these connections help build a more inclusive world.

‘Third places’ help to facilitate this process. These spaces create opportunities for social interaction, open dialogue, and meaningful participation in democratic discussions and events. In an age of social isolation and digital polarization, they allow for face-to-face interaction, breaking down stereotypes and assumptions.

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A right to education for all: Unlocking potential behind bars

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As we mark International Day of Education, Daniel Baril looks back at the Montreal International Conference on Education in Prison, held last October, which presented an inspiring vision for the future of prison education. Drawing on his closing remarks, he emphasizes the profound ways in which prison education upholds the universal right to education, ensuring inclusivity for all.

© Thai Department of Correction

Education in prison is not merely a tool for social rehabilitation but a fundamental human right. At the Montreal International Conference on Education in Prison, this central message resonated as speakers emphasized the necessity of recognizing incarcerated people as rightful holders of this right. Access to education in the prison environment, often characterized by exclusion, must be re-examined through this human-rights lens.

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Playful learning and joint action: New methods in climate education in Hamburg

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In the second of our series of posts on lifelong learning and climate action, published to coincide with the Sixth International Conference on Learning Cities, Jürgen Forkel-Schubert explains how the learning city of Hamburg is rising to the climate-change challenge

© Markus Scholz, City of Hamburg

As a major port city in the north of Germany, Hamburg is confronted with the harsh realities of climate change. Rising sea levels and the increasing frequency of extreme weather events have prompted Hamburg to take administrative and technical measures to mitigate the effects of climate change and support greater climate adaptation.

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Lifelong learning in the age of AI

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Developments in artificial intelligence are driving change in education and pose new questions of educators and learners. Annapurna Ayyappan cuts through the noise to identify the core issues for lifelong learning

© JoeZ/Shutterstock.

From television and radio broadcasts and podcasts to social media platforms, massive open online courses and open educational resources, technology has greatly expanded the horizons of informal and non-formal learning (UIL, 2022). It has also presented learners and educators with new challenges, as well as opportunities for empowerment and exploration. Now, with the advent of generative artificial intelligence and other AI applications, this trend is set to accelerate even further, as highlighted by Oleksandra Poquet and Maarten de Laat (2021), who describe AI as a ‘transformative force reshaping how individuals encounter information, navigate their surroundings, and make decisions’.

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Adult education: A condition for hope

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The Inclusive Lifelong Learning Conference gave critical impetus to the implementation of the Marrakech Framework for Action and reinforced CONFINTEA VII’s view of adult learning and education as a condition for a hopeful future, writes Daniel Baril, Chair of the Governing Board of the UNESCO Institute for Lifelong Learning

© PMO Kartu Prakerja. Daniel Baril addressing the Inclusive Lifelong Learning Conference

In my closing remarks to last week’s Inclusive Lifelong Learning Conference in Bali, I tried to capture the spirit of the work undertaken by the UNESCO Institute for Lifelong Learning (UIL) and its partners in shaping the conference and its outcome document, the Bali Manifesto. Reflecting on the moral and policy challenges of inclusive learning and education throughout life I recalled that adult learning and education has always been about hope: hope for each individual to be able to complete basic education successfully and, most importantly, to learn to read and write; hope for each adult to be able to learn what each person must know in order to fulfill their responsibilities, grow as a human being and engage in society and the world of work. In a sense, adult learning and education is a condition for hope.

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