Adult Education and Legislation

Abstract

The article starts from the origins of legislation of Adult and continuing Education and refers to the development of regulations and prescriptions especially in pluralistically structered systems in central Europe. The early stages of, legislation can be traced back as far as the l920s when there was cultural and general education of Adults (Volksbildung) was in favor amongst adults of the bourgois middle class people and in the labor movement where education was regarded as a means of promoting class solidarity. The history of legislation is charaterised by three phases whereby a system was established that is based on a variety of organizations, a maximum of coordination and cooperation and a self understanding of different approaches towards the education of adults: laws concerning the funding (1950s), the organizational mechanism (1970s) the contents (1980s). In contrast to a growing tendency of harmonization of Adult Education in the European context the EU has given garantuee to the principle of subsidiarity, which keeps AE with its traditional perception of different profiles depending on the individual organization. As the area of Adult Education is constantly expanding new subjects are being implemented into the selfunderstanding of AE. Therefore now-a-days laws and prescriptions on Adult education include aspects of health education, environmental education and population policy.