Lifelong Learning
In order to encourage the senior learning motivation and enhance seniors' physical and mental health, Ministry of Education (MOE) has promoted the senior education since 2008.
This project is associated with schools at all level, organizations, and independent groups to build up Senior Citizens Learning Center.
Moreover, this project also combines universities and colleges to set up the Senior brCitizens Learning Camp. The major group of these universities is citizens over 55 years old. LEARNING originally means people learn from happiness, and thus forget they are aged.
The life attitude of LEARNING is the same as Confucius. He once said,” He is simply a man, who in his eager pursuit of knowledge forgets his food, who in the joy of its attainment forgets his sorrows, and who does not perceive that old age is coming on?”
After years of promotion by MOE, LEARNING has become a common name for Taiwan’s promotion of senior education systems. And it is also used as a sign of promoting relevant policies for senior education.
The Chinese pronunciation of LE-LING (樂齡) is similar to LEARNING in English. For this reason, LE-LING encourages the elder to keep a lifelong LEARNING mind as it is said, living and learning.
Background
Owing to the aged society and rapid population aging, more than 84% of the sub-healthy and healthy groups over the age of 65 in Taiwan need to be provided with senior learning opportunities, in addition to the long-term care-related resources. We take the experiences of the advanced countries for reference, and “elder Learning” has been listed as the main focus of the development of lifelong education in recent years, in order to delay the aging of the elderly, prevent them from becoming a group to be taken care of, and decrease the national financial burden. Due to the promotion of the advanced lifelong and senior education in the future, this medium-term project sets out a long-term implementation strategy for strengthening the contents of the project. It also organizes many experts and scholars from different fields, such as senior education, social welfare, and family education, etc. to discuss together, and held 10 meetings to reach consensus and promote the project.
The goals of the project
In response to the aging society, the project aims to achieve the following four objectives in the future:
(1)To improve the senior education system, and offer the universal access to learning for the elderly.
(2)To innovate the learning content for the elderly, and promote the concepts of active aging.
(3)To cultivate professional education manpower, and strengthen the quality of senior education.
(4)To strengthen the integration of cross-field resources and create a friendly environment for the elderly.
The strategy
(1) Deep Cultivation: Establish a wholly senior education system and popularize elder learning opportunities
(2) Innovation: Innovate learning model actively and responding to the aging problem
(3) Profession: Cultivate senior professional manpower and enhance the learning quality of the elderly
(4) Cross-domain: Promote the integration of cross-field resources and create a friendly learning environment
Background
In 1991, United Nations General Assembly(UNGA) passed “United Nations Principles for Older Person.” It proposed that the elder should have the opportunity to participate in education, culture, leisure and civic activities.
UNGA decided to observe the year 1999 as the International Year of Older Persons (IYOP) and requested Member States to propose national and local programs for the elder. In addition to the implementation of the International Plan of Action on Ageing and the spirit of the United Nations Principles for Old Person, the program conforms to UN’s principles of care for the elderly and implements international aging action.
The World Health Organization (WHO) proposed the concept of “Active Ageing” in 2002. It has become the main reference framework for the development of the health policy for the elderly by WHO, OECD (Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development) and other international organizations.
The definition of Active Ageing is the process of achieving optimal opportunities for health, participation, and safety, which promote the people's quality of life when they are old.
Countries around the world have noticed the effects of aging on a country. Not only in the economic, welfare, medical and other aspects of life, but also in education that we cannot ignore the learning rights and interests of the elder. Taiwan is gradually moved into the aging society, providing elderly wholesome educational activities receives equal attention.
To promote the education of the elder, MOE has formulated relevant implementation plan, listed the budge of senior education, and combined related educational resources. non-governmental organization and government to work together to encourage elder age learning.
Status of implementation
To promote the senior education, MOE publishes the “White Paper on Elderly Education Policy for Senior Citizens” in 2006. It implements the four major visions of the White Paper, such as Lifelong Learning, Health and Happiness, Autonomy and Dignity and Social Participation.
At the same time, MOE formulate 11 promotion strategies
Later, Senior Education was included in three policies announced by the Executive Yuan, which are Population Policy White Paper, Friendly Care Services for the Elderly Program and Expanded Learning Program for Older Adults of the Republic of China Education Report
MOE develop an implementation plan and plan related governance measures annually, to build a localize learning system and strengthen the specialization of senior education as a policy goal.
MOE aims to cultivate middle- aged people with lifelong learning habits and strengthen people’s learning motivation after retiring to maintain their physical and mental health. Since 2008, primary learning group is nationals over 55 years of age (according to the current domestic definition age of 65 as the old before 10 years).
MOE build a localize middle-aged school learning system, and adopt learning to promote the goal of advanced education in the country. Learning means people learn from happiness, and thus forget they are aged. And the main strategies for promoting senior education are “Local Learning”, “Professional Counseling”, “Multivariate innovation” and “Generational Integration.”
Over the years, MOE have attempted to innovate in the advancement of learning policy. MOE established 339 “Senior Citizens Learning Center”; subsidized 108 universities and colleges to implement “Senior Citizens Learning Camp”, and set up a district’s old age teaching guidance group to practice."
In order to improve the domestic quality of old-age education teachers and provide equal quality education for senior citizens, a multi-dimensional and multi-functional interactive learning system allows middle-aged and older people to bridge the age gap and effectively enhances their sense of happiness in their old age.
In June 2014, MOE received the “Service Planning Agency” award of the “6th Executive Council Quality of Service Award” with the “Active Ageing, Deep Pitching - 2013 Service Quality Enhancement Program for the Learning Service”, “Government Service Quality Award ” is the highest honor of quality for government agencies. This is the first time our department has won this award. MOE promotes the performance of senior age learning and senior education policies and has consistently received high recognition from the review.
Local Learning:
Establish Township and District Senior Citizens Learning Center
In order to implement the concept of “local learning”, MOE combines local schools at all levels, government agencies, non-governmental organization and other units, with the goal of setting at least a “Seniors Learning Center”, and the goal of planning “a town, a characteristic”.
The main course includes the core ageing learning courses, self-centered planning courses, and contributing social service courses. Various types of courses in the center are handled in multiple modes and the center develops autonomous learning service groups to service elderly. It will promote a virtuous cycle of reusing manpower, confirm that domestic elderly still has infinite energy. Savings can input to the other suitable course and meet social justice.
In order to exert to the spirit of elderly contribution to service, all of senior citizens learning center establish volunteer team as an advocate. These team delivery service to place where the elder gather such as temples, under the tree.
They will delivery learning resource to the community. And it is expected that the elder will lead the elder and use the advanced human resources for social development.")
Professional Counseling:
Establishing a counseling team and strengthening professional staff
In addition to granting the establishment of the Seniors Learning Center in 2008, a professional academic group commissioned to establish a learning guide for senior citizens. And the academic group assist educational institutions in implementing advanced age education and counseling for municipalities, counties (cities) and governments to implement the promotion of learning for the elder.
In 2012, in order to assist the professional development of the National Learning Service, MOE commission four national universities which have entrusted with the relationship between adult education and senior education.
The four universities are National Taiwan Normal University, National Chi Nan International University, National Chung Cheng University, and National Kaohsiung Normal University. For the first time, these schools set up the district's senior age learning guidance group.
The counseling group developed annual assessments and visit indicators, researched and edited learning materials for the age group, conducted professional training seminars, contact seminars, results from observations and international seminars, etc. to enhance seniority of educator's professional competence.
To encourage the elder to retire to, they can still contribute to society, MOE trains four kinds of senior education professionals, namely instructor of Learning, leader of Independent Learning Group, Senior Education guide narrator, and the project plan manager of education. MOE also promote “Senior-aged independent group Lifelong learning activities program” to popularize learning opportunities for senior citizens.
Multivariate Innovation:
Creation of Senior University and Construction of Internet Information
In order to develop a diversified learning pipeline and strengthen the learning rights and interests to elderly, MOE combines 13 universities to promoted “Short-term Residential Study Program for The Elderly” which was 5 days and 4 nights in 2008.
In 2009, this program transformed into a two-week “Learning School” which was processes by 28 universities. Next year, it gradually developed into a semester system of senior citizens learning camp. At present, there are 108 universities cooperated with this implementation.
The “Senior Citizens Learning Camp” provides a chance for people over the age of 55 to enter the campus and study undergraduates. The activity curriculum focuses on courses such as aging, aging, health and leisure, school characteristics, and new life. To enable the elder to keep up with the latest learning information, MOE developed the “Website of Senior Education of Ministry of Education”.
Moreover, the website brings together the research and report of the Senior Citizen Learning Center, Senior Citizens learning Camp, the senior education commissioned research case, the senior learning materials, and the service information of the senior citizens related to each ministry.
It not only provides a convenient and fast learning channel for the citizens but also allows Elderly people pay attention to socially relevant information.
Generational Integration:
Use school and community areas to promote communion from generation to generation
In view of the changes in family structure and less interaction, MOE promoted “Tzu Sun Zhou” in conjunction with Senior Citizen Learning Center and Family Education Centers from 2008 to 2009.
In 2009, this program transformed into a two-week “Learning School” which was processes by 28 universities. Next year, it gradually developed into a semester system of senior citizens learning camp. At present, there are 108 universities cooperated with this implementation.
Since 2011, it officially is held on the fourth Sunday of the August and it is designated as “Grandparents Day”. This series of activities conducted in conjunction with related companies, non-governmental organizations, senior age learning centers, family education centers, and schools and social education institutions.
According to statistics, the headquarters used 148 (43.66%) of the school's space to set up Senior Citizen Learning Center, so that community seniors can use community schools for learning activities.")
Outlook
On June 18, 2014, the Presidential Decree amended the “Lifelong Learning Law.”In response to the fact that Taiwan will face the demographic structure of the aging society, Article 14 of the Law clearly states that the competent authorities at all levels must promote the responsibility for learning and provide various tasks. MOE also published “Reward of Subsidy and Counselling of Learning Activity” on October 22, 2015.
In October 2015, the Executive Yuan announced the “White Paper for Aging People”, it aims to build a new vision for the construction of a healthy, happy, dynamic, and friendly older age society.
MOE also implements the White Paper in accordance with the White Paper: Eternal Long Term Service and Elderly Elevation Diversification of sports and leisure, promotion of the education system for senior citizens, planning of social issues for senior citizens, integration into life education, and other specific measures.
In 2018, Taiwan is about to greet the arrival of an ageing society and make active preparations from an educational perspective. The services needed by the elderly will not only be long-term care, but also include aging prevention, family interpersonal relationships, skills inheritance, social participation, and even human resources. Development and other aspects will all be topics that need to learn by the elderly in the future.
In the future, in addition to continuing operations to promote the creation of opportunities and channels for senior citizens in rural areas, the Ministry of Education will also actively develop silver elderly human resources, flipping ideas, making elderly people resources rather than social burdens, and assisting nationals. It is necessary to prepare for retirement as soon as possible and actively face aging.
資料正在載入...
