Non-formal education - Eastern Partnership Civil Society Forum

DEAR FRIENDS!
The idea of the project was emerged from discussions in the newly formed sub- group on education
of Group 4 “Contacts between people” of Civil Society Forum of the Eastern Partnership (Poznan,
Poland, November 28 – 30, 2011). Formation of a specified subgroup was quite natural, as among
participants of the Third Meeting of the Forum from both EaP and EU countries there were a lot of those
whom issues of education are a matter of life and professional interest for.
Non-formal education as an important component of lifelong learning has been defined in the
discussion as a framework problem because it:
– defines the interaction between civil society, NGOs and the government, as well as with formal
education;
– makes it possible to involve different social groups (including those that require special
treatment and attention) and different ages (from children and young people up to the category
of “45 +”) into the educational process;
– is one of the priority components of social change (such as lifelong learning) in the EU. But is
not yet the norm for the EaP countries. And non-formal education can correct this situation.
But over the last decade, the field of education in the former Soviet Union, Eastern Partnership
countries in particular, had passed a number of significant changes: from the emergence of private
institutions, changed system of knowledge assessment and duration of schooling to the national
framework of qualifications and changes in the system of scientific degrees.
And trying to work out a common strategy we have come to comprehension that there is no overall
picture, no common view of the situation with non-formal education, with a policy of “lifelong learning”.
Preparing an overview of each of the Eastern Partnership countries and the comparative analysis
of non-formal education has been possible thanks to the financial support of the Ministry of Foreign
Affairs of the Czech Republic.
Overall coordination of the project was provided by Ukrainian NGO Europe XXI Foundation
(representing by Galina Usatenko). Association of additional education and enlightenment of Belarus
(representing by Dmitry Karpievich), the social organization of the Armenian Union of Civil Servants
(representing by Vache Kalashian) and the Institute for International Cooperation of the German Adult
Education Association (representing by Bettina Brand) were partners in the project.
Getting started a review, we were aware that there are national characteristics of education reforms,
but there were some common pain points and overall trends. To determine these pain points, find
solutions to problems, and also for the formation of national education policies in the context of regional
policy and European transformations in education our cooperation was guided.
The Findings
At the meeting in Kiev on October 14-15, 2012 when all the members of our collaborators and expert
working groups have tried to develop general recommendations on, the main thesis sounded, “We are
all different and everything in our education is different. And that is, what we have in common”.
But then we found that the role of non-formal education was the key for our region, for the countries
of the Eastern Partnership: to improve quality of life, and for the formation of a worldview in our societies
and the culture of “lifelong learning”, and for the formation of civil society, which NGOs are competent
and effective, and required providers of educational services in.
Attention to non-formal education, initiated by our group in the framework of the Civil Society Forum
of the Eastern Partnership, is an important component for work in each of the countries. For example,
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