Universities and adult education

Conclusion

This article has sought to examine university adult education in a global context and not from the standpoint of any particular national tradition. On two broad fronts the future looks promising. Universities are becoming increasingly involved in the continuing education of the members of the communities they serve, and their main preoccupation seems likely to be focused on work and role-oriented studies. This is not to deny the importance of general cultural provision, an element of adult education which also will assume greater significance as people are able to enjoy more leisure time during their working lives and longer and more secure periods of retirement. The point of debate is simply how far work of this kind is a task for universities or whether it should be the responsibility of other agencies in the community which could, of course, call upon the resources of universities.

The second promising area of expansion is in the study and teaching of adult education. The acceptance of adult education as an equal partner of the educational family will accelerate the demand, already being felt in many countries, that those responsible for it must themselves be professionally prepared for their vocation. Clearly a share of this work should be undertaken by universities.