HAVE STILL THE ADULTS A GENUINE NEED FOR LEARNING?

Abstract

The paper intends to highlight an important issue: the specifics of adults' learning process nowadays, the dynamics of motivation for formal learning activities (within tertiary education and/ or lifelong learning), the difficulties of educators in relation to adults' learners, and the position of society versus this segment of permanent education. Based on a systematic observation along five academic years, it is stressed that, the stated conclusions are required to be verified by an in depth research. The paper announces the existence of such a research, whose results will be the topic of further papers. Some core aspects of this approach are presented. The paper has the explicit intention to emphasize a thorny contemporary problem, by pointing out some worrying aspects in adult education, which may have earlier roots in ontogenesis. The presentation intends to be an additional and serious pleading for considering education a genuine national and universal priority, by renouncing to the pretend this priority only in the official papers. The worsening of the presented aspects, within the conditions of a nebulous actuality is highlighted and, also the huge danger of the “time of to pretend” (meaning to mime a reality that does not exist as such) is explained.