European experience in the development of the system of lifelong learning of Ukraine

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EUROPEAN EXPERIENCE IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE SYSTEM OF LIFELONG LEARNING OF UKRAINE

Herasymenko O.

The present article is devoted to the actual problem of studying and introducing the best European practices regarding the development of lifelong learning into the national education system. Great attention is focused on the fact that the rapid transnational spread of lifelong learning is caused primarily by many factors, among which we will single out the following: globalization; demographic processes; economic development, etc. The authors of the article stated that lifelong learning includes all types of educational activities that are carried out throughout a person's life with the aim of improving knowledge, skills and competencies to meet both personal and social needs, as well as the demands of the labor market.

The European Union has been successfully implementing the lifelong learning strategy for two decades, the beginning of which was implemented with the signing of the Memorandum on Lifelong Learning.

It is outlined that for the successful implementation of the concept of lifelong learning at the national level, it is absolutely necessary to take into account the experience of the best countries. That is why the practices of the Scandinavian countries, namely Sweden and Finland, in the development of the lifelong learning system were chosen for our study.

The choice of the above-mentioned countries was undoubtedly determined by the indicators of these countries regarding the involvement of the population in lifelong learning. Sweden and Finland are leaders in this matter.

The article notes that education in Ukraine is mainly academic in nature. Unfortunately, educational programs do not meet the real demands of the labor market. Upskilling is not a voluntary process due to a number of reasons, such as low motivation and interest, reluctance, financial problems, etc.

In Finland, education is a national value, where the connection between education and life is clearly visible. The state guarantees that every citizen receives quality education free of charge for all sections of the population, regardless of their social level and geographical location. The authors of the article proposed a scheme of the Finnish system of lifelong learning, which proves that lifelong education in Finland really is a logically structured system, where all links are closely connected with each other.

The Swedish concept of lifelong learning aims at the development of successive stages of education, including educational institutions from preschool to post-university. Attention is focused on the fact that the strategy of lifelong learning in Sweden is designed to ensure that everyone who studies has the opportunity to acquire basic skills. Among the effective principles of the Swedish lifelong learning system, the following are highlighted: diversity of educational programs, equal access to education, availability of an open form of continuing education, training of migrants, etc.

Key words: education, lifelong learning, adult education, Finnish lifelong learning system, Swedish model of lifelong learning, European experience, education system, Scandinavian countries.

national education system finnish lifelong learning

Nowadays education is considered to be one of the most important factors of economic growth. Recently the role of lifelong learning in the development of modern society has increased. In the XXI century, the rapid pace and complexity of economic, technological and cultural change require adults to adapt to globalization throughout life. These challenges not only emphasize the importance of lifelong learning in general, but require adults to continue to receive more information, improve previously acquired knowledge and skills, to adapt to the new rhythm of life.

The European Union (EU) attaches great importance to lifelong learning for a number of reasons: aging of the population, growing migration, need for skilled workers. EU documents emphasize that “the emergence of a knowledge society requires improved means of transferring and using knowledge and opportunities for lifelong learning”. Lifelong learning is a key component of the Lisbon Agenda, a roadmap that was developed at the European Leaders Summit in March 2000 [4].

As stated by the European Commission, “learning opportunities should be available to all citizens on a permanent basis”. In practice, this should mean that each citizen has individual learning paths that meet his needs and interests at all stages of life. The Memorandum of the European Commission on Lifelong Education states that “the education system must become much more open and flexible in order to meet the needs of students” [4]. The lifelong education program includes key components of the knowledge society, promoting lifelong and collaborative learning, increasing the spiritual and economic potential of the individual, as well as encouraging public consciousness and active citizenship in the European Community. The Memorandum also notes that a successful transition to a knowledge-based economy and society must be accompanied by a process of continuous education, “lifelong learning”.

The market of educational services has undergone significant changes in recent decades, the main reason of which was globalization. That is, the integration of individual countries into a single educational space, which significantly increased the level of competition between higher education institutions and countries in the hope of finding and retaining the most talented young people from among domestic and foreign students. In this sense, the study of the best educational practices in foreign countries with the aim of their further use in the national educational system becomes relevant. The opportunity to receive quality education at all levels in order to be competitive is of great importance.

The objective of the article is to substantiate the essence, trends and patterns that determine the functioning of lifelong learning in European countries, to demonstrate the possibilities of creative use of progressive ideas of the international experience in reforming lifelong learning in Ukraine.

In our research Finland and Sweden are of great interest due to the fact that these two countries are considered as the flagship of ensuring a high standard of living for their citizens compared to other European countries. Education is a key priority for this Scandinavian countries and, by setting high academic standards for the educational level of the individual, combined with innovative learning technologies, Scandinavian educational institutions prepare students to play their active role in a society whose priority is knowledge.

From our point of view, today, more than ever, a person should develop comprehensively throughout his life, starting from pre-school age. In our time of information technologies, this can be easily achieved by almost everyone, however, as practice shows, most people, unfortunately, have lack of motivation for their educational development. In many foreign countries, significant attention is not paid to preparation for exams, as in Ukraine, because education in the system of non-formal and postgraduate education is mainly focused on solving issues related to the formalization of education or a certain component of it, but directly on the learning process, the acquisition of certain knowledge, abilities and skills, their practical application in everyday life.

In Ukraine, in contrast to many foreign countries, education is mainly academic by its nature, that is, children are primarily sought to be given ready-made knowledge, without taking into account their creative potential, their level of development. There is a significant detachment of educational programs of higher education institutions from the real demands placed on employees by employers. Most of the graduates, after getting a job, do not engage in their professional development at all, with the exception of voluntary and compulsory training courses, to which employers periodically send them. That is why the experience of developed foreign countries in the field of continuing education requires detailed consideration in order to implement the most promising achievements in this field in our country.

Pic. 1. Percentage ofparticipation of adults aged 25-64 in education in the countries of the European Union (according to 2020 data) [5]

Features of lifelong learning in Finland and Sweden repeatedly became the subject of pedagogical studies of such outstanding scientists and scholars like H. Islakaeva, I. Liskova, M. Ponyavina, M. Solovyova, M. Yushkova, K. Huusko and so on. The reason for the accute attention to the organization of the educational process of these countries lies in the high results of learning at various levels, the general recognition of the effectiveness of education.

Taking into account the European experience in the national context is necessary, in our opinion, due to the tendency of practical formation of attitudes towards learning throughout life, especially at the stage of adult education. The acute attention to this problem is confirmed by official statistics presented by the statistical service of the European Union (Eurostat). We see (Pic. 1) that Finland and Sweden have leading position in the issue of the involvement of adults in lifelong learning:

We consider it appropriate to start with Finland, since the name of this country has become synonymous with high-quality and impeccable education. It is known that Finland's education system is one of the most effective in the world, and ensuring its high level is a priority of the country's national strategy. According to the International Program for International Student Assessment (PISA), Finnish education has held one of the leading positions in the world ranking for the past few years. In this direction, not only the level of knowledge is evaluated, but also the presence of conditions for the growth of each individual.

Education in Finland is built on the basis of a person-oriented approach and is aimed at creating an environment where all participants in the educational process feel equally comfortable [1, p. 27-28].

An inherent feature of the Finnish lifelong learning system is that absolutely all educational institutions must provide quality educational services, regardless of the socio-economic status of the students and the geographical location of the institutions. The Finnish education system is designed to cultivate talents and create comfortable conditions for those who study with different initial levels of education.

The Finnish education system is truly lifelong, starting from the age of zero and ending with the education of the adult population. Here is the scheme (Table 1) to visualize the degrees of the Finnish education system:

Table 1

Important characteristics of Finnish system of lifelong learning for adults, for example, are the variety of curricula, the voluntary nature of participation and the use of student-centered methodologies. Educational institutions independently set goals and are responsible for the use of state subsidies. Education is available to everyone without exception. There are no prerequisites for admission to study. Getting a well-paid job or increasing competitiveness is not the main goal of education, the main task is to enjoy learning, a sense of community and inclusion in the activities of civil society.

Therefore, we believe that the success of education in Finland is facilitated by a number of specific features and factors, which, in our opinion, are undoubtedly worth taking into account. First of all, education is a national priority and one of the main values of the country. There is a clear awareness of the relationship between the quality of education and the social well-being of society. The state education policy gives every citizen of the country a chance to get a free education. Equality, creation of conditions for the harmonious development of the personality, respectful attitude to the learning process and the teacher, high material support, implementation of the principles of person-oriented pedagogy determine the achievement of high educational results.

Another example of the most successful European countries that consistently ranks first in international rankings related to higher education is Sweden. It is no secret that this country not only provides its citizens with one of the highest standards of living in the world, but is also a leader in environmental protection and innovation in all spheres of activity, demonstrating an example of the most successful innovative development strategy. That is why the Swedish system of higher education was chosen for the analysis of the application of the principle of lifelong learning (LLL).

Studying the experience of Sweden, it is worth emphasizing that the state policy of the Swedish government is primarily aimed at the personal and educational development of all Swedish citizens. The country has a diverse number of programs that allow students of all nationalities and ages from other countries, including Ukraine, to study at Swedish colleges and universities for free.

Sweden has long been known not only for the high quality of education, but also for the fact that education at every level is free, as educational institutions are fully or partially financed from the state budget. Changes in the financing of educational institutions took place in the early 1990s, when a series of reforms changed the direction of decentralization of management. Thus, the authority regarding financial obligations was transferred from the government to the municipalities [2, p. 16]. Importantly, municipalities were now obliged to finance independent, private schools as well.

The Swedish education system is under the control of the Ministry of Education, and specially created commissions develop curricula that are uniform throughout the country. The main feature of the modern education system in Sweden is its democracy. All children, regardless of their social status and nationality, have equal rights to education.

In Sweden, the lifelong education strategy aims to develop coherent and logically connected levels of education, including educational institutions from preschool to university and postgraduate. The system is designed to provide each student with the opportunity to master the basic skills of lifelong learning at any of the levels of education, guaranteeing equal rights for education to all citizens. The Swedish educational system provides extensive examples of effective lifelong education policies. Among them are:

- equal access and opportunities for a variety of forms of education, which are the fundamental guiding principle of educational policy;

- a wide choice of educational programs for schoolchildren within the framework of the secondary education system (out of the proposed 16 national programs, 14 have vocational orientation, and two are focused on preparation for studying at universities);

- inclusion of students experiencing difficulties after basic school education in individual training programs;

- the specifics of teaching adult immigrants who are integrated after a Swedish language course in an adult school;

- dissemination of information about adult education at the level of municipalities within the framework of the week of knowledge;

- the presence of an open network form of continuous education (Folkbildning).

“Folkbildning” is a free and voluntary approach to adult education, where the main thing is social equality and maintaining equal relations between different social and cultural groups and a number of target audiences are envisaged (people who have insufficient education, disabled people, immigrants, unemployed, etc.) [3, p. 4-5].

The main ideas and key words that define the essence of the concept of “folkbildning” (folkbildning) are “democracy, self-education, voluntary participation, free forms of activity”, the main goal is to reduce the gap in the knowledge of representatives of different generations and give people the opportunity to realize their inner potential.

Taking everything into consideration, we should say that it is also expedient for Ukraine to strengthen the participation in the system of continuous education of non-governmental organizations - associations, public schools, public organizations working in the field of adult education, as well as to develop partnership relations with the local community. From the experience of the studied countries, it is also advisable to borrow the practice of creating specialized career guidance centers for students and adults. Expanding the mechanisms of involving employers in the organization of continuous education through internal trainings and special courses will improve the financial condition of educational institutions and establish close contacts with private structures for conducting joint scientific projects and sharing academic and practical experience.

Employers should reconsider their attitude to continuing education and ensure proper participation in the system through joint funding schemes for adult education and the development of university-based vocational training courses. Based on the experience of Finland and Sweden, it is advisable to introduce educational franchising for employers through on-the-job training methods and the issuance of educational certificates.

Following the example of the studied European countries, it is advisable to introduce the practice of public control (customers of educational services and taxpayers) on the quality of the use of financial resources for the implementation of forms and methods of continuous education.

It is important to expand the forms and methods of continuous education through the development of distance learning programs, short-term certified specialized courses, trainings and seminars based on employers, university long-term professional courses to strengthen the innovative component of lifelong learning. Reforming the system of lifelong learning in Ukraine using the prospects of implementing foreign experience in the organization of continuous education will significantly contribute to solving problems related to the socio-economic development of the country, bring the system of continuous education closer to the realities and needs of the industrial economy.

Implementation of these proposals in the practice of continuing education in Ukraine will allow to increase the level of interaction of all participants of the system of continuing education and increase its competitiveness at the international level.

1. Соловьева М. Педагогические тайны системы образования Финляндии. 2010. № 4 (16). С. 27-28.

2. Ekstrom E. Earnings effects of adult education in Sweden. Institute for labor market policy evaluation. Working paper. Uppsala, 2003. 16 p.

3. Ericson T Trends in the pattern of lifelong learning in Sweden: Towards a decentralized economy. P 4-5.

4. Memorandum on lifelong learning. URL: http://pjp-eu.coe.int/documents/1017981/1668227/COM_Sec_2000_1832.pdf/ f79d0e69-b8d3-48a7-9d16-1a065bfe48e5.

5. Statistical Service of the EU (Eurostat). URL: https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/web/products-eurostat-news/-/ddn-20210702-1.

Стаття присвячена актуальній проблемі вивчення та запровадження кращих європейських практик щодо розвитку неперервної освіти в національну освітню систему. Увагу акцентовано на тому, що стрімке транснаціональне поширення неперервної освіти зумовлено передусім багатьма чинниками, серед яких виокремимо такі: глобалізацію; демографічні процеси; розвиток економіки тощо. Авторами статті зазначено, що неперервна освіта охоплює всі види освітньої діяльності, які здійснюються протягом усього життя людини з метою вдосконалення знань, умінь, навичок і компетенцій для задоволення особистих і суспільних потреб, а також запитів ринку праці.

Європейський Союз уже два десятиліття успішно реалізує стратегію неперервної освіти, початок якої було запроваджено укладанням Меморандуму про неперервну освіту.

Зазначено, що для успішної реалізації концепції неперервної освіти на національному рівні вкрай необхідне врахування досвіду кращих країн. Саме тому для нашого дослідження було обрано практики скандинавських країн, а саме Швеції та Фінляндії, у розвитку системи неперервної освіти.

Вибір зазначених вище країн, безсумнівно, був зумовлений показниками цих країн щодо залученості населення до неперервної освіти. Швеція та Фінляндія посідають у цьому питанні лідерські позиції.

У статті зауважено, що освіта в Україні має переважно академічний характер. На жаль, освітні програми не відповідають реальним запитам ринку праці. Підвищення кваліфікації не є добровільним процесом через низку причин, як-от слабка мотивація та зацікавленість, небажання, фінансові проблеми тощо.

У Фінляндії освіта є національною цінністю, чітко простежується зв'язок освіти із життям. Держава гарантує кожному громадянину здобуття якісної освіти безкоштовно для всіх верств населення незалежно від їхнього соціального рівня та географічного розташування. Авторами статті запропонована схема фінської системи неперервної освіти, яка доводить, що у Фінляндії освіта впродовж життя справді є логічно вибудованою системою, де всі ланки тісно пов'язані одна з одною.

Шведська концепція неперервної освіти спрямована на розвиток послідовних ступенів навчання, охоплює освітні заклади від дошкільних до післяуніверситетських. Увагу акцентовано на тому, що стратегія неперервної освіти у Швеції покликана забезпечити можливість опанування базових навичок кожним, хто навчається. Серед ефективних принципів шведської системи неперервної освіти виокремлено такі: розмаїття освітніх програм, рівний доступ до навчання, наявність відкритої форми неперервної освіти, навчання мігрантів тощо.

Ключові слова: освіта, неперервна освіта, освіта дорослих, система неперервної освіти Фінляндії, шведська модель неперервної освіти, європейський досвід, система освіти, скандинавські країни.

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