Policies and practices in educational gerontology in mainland China

Abstract

ABSTRACT The development of educational gerontology (EG) policies in mainland China has gone through two stages, the social welfare stage (1982–2000) and the lifelong learning stage (2001–present), and a rudimentary system of EG provisions and legislation has been formed. Although a system of EG practices in mainland China has also been built under the guidance of these policies, there are still some loopholes in the policies that hinder the further development of practices, such as a lack of awareness of EG as a separate discipline, misconceptions about lifelong education, and imperfections in the systems, techniques, and content of legislation related to EG. Additionally, there are some major gaps in EG policies and practices in China, unlike in other regions and countries. Therefore, this paper suggests a future EG policy agenda, including enacting legislation such as the Lifelong Education Act or Adult Education Act; improving the quality of the existing provisions and legislation to increase their rationality, standardization and operability; issuing a special law regarding the employment of older people to safeguard their right to learn and work; and launching initiatives to improve EG practices, including initiatives to enhance aging education in school, higher education for older adults, the utilization of older human resources, the cultivation of digital skills among older people, and education for disadvantaged older people.