EAEA President Per Paludan Hansen (on the left) and SIAE Director Andrej Sotošek (on the right) handed the Manifesto for Adult Learning in the 21st Century to Maja Makovec Brenčič, the Minister of Education.
03.03.2016 policy

The Slovenian Minister of Education supports EAEA’s work

On 19th of February, during its Board meeting in the Slovenian capital Ljubljana, EAEA’s Executive Board met with the Slovenian Minister for Education. The meeting was an opportunity for the participants to present some key advocacy points for adult education in Europe.

“Adult education is very important for employment and employability. European Commission’s New Skills Strategy, to be published in the next few months, will focus on employment and employability, but adult education and lifelong learning are much more than that. It it is also about getting a new chance in life and finding a place in the community,” underlined the EAEA President Per Paludan Hansen in the meeting.

Support for adult education

The EAEA Secretary General Gina Ebner asked the Minister to support adult education and lifelong learning at the next meeting of Education Ministers, as not all countries support the sector on the same level.

“We can have a common voice. You have my support,” confirmed the Minister.

The Minister also talked about the discussions that education Ministers are having in the European Council on radicalization.

“It is important to enable people to know that there are different cultures in the world and that we need to learn to live together. Multicultural understanding starts with pre-schools; we need to embed the topic within the schools and continue with it on the lifelong learning spectrum,” she said.

Manifesto localized to Slovenia

The Slovenian Institute for Adult Education (SIAE) had translated EAEA’s recent publication, ‘Manifesto for Adult Learning in the 21st Century’ into Slovenian and handed it to the Minister.

“We’re very proud that we have managed to have statements from Slovenian learners in the Slovenian version of the Manifesto. It makes it very vivid,” said Zvonka Pangerc Pahernik, Head of promotion and information unit at the SIAE.

Meeting the Slovenian learners

In the afternoon, the EAEA Board met with the Slovenian Learner’s Forum, a very large organisation with 200,000 members from 150 clubs all around the country. Topics as engaging older learners, validation of non-formal learning and more generally groups of learners were discussed.

The meeting was a great opportunity to see how well the Slovenian learner’s community is organised and structured.

Text: Tania BermanPhotos: Tania Berman

News

More news >
05.11.2026 adult educators

Lifelong Learning Across Borders: Holistic Approaches to Supporting Adult Skills Learners in Europe and the United States

How can holistic approaches better support adult learners? Experts from Europe and the United States explored shared challenges, good practices and new perspectives on making adult learning more inclusive and accessible, in collaboration with the American Association of Adult and Continuing Education (AAACE) and the Coalition of Lifelong Learning Organizations (COLLO).

05.11.2026 key competences

Steps taken towards a lifelong learning competence framework rooted in judo values

The benefits of movement for physical and mental health are well known, but sport can also enrich personal and social experience. EAEA’s Manifesto (2024) notes that well-being and resilience have a very positive impact on social life and professional development. But how can we move beyond theory towards a practical sports-rooted competence framework?

04.11.2026 adult educators

From Theory to Practice: Testing, Learning and Adapting

Testing learning materials in real-life settings helps us to understand whether they meet learners’ needs, whether the content is relevant and accessible, and whether the intended learning outcomes can be achieved.

29.10.2026 advocacy

Adult Learning at the heart of a resilient, democratic and competitive Europe

Joint statement by the European Association for the Education of Adults (EAEA) and AONTAS, The National Adult Learning Organisation, in the context of the Irish Presidency of the Council of the European Union and at the dawn of a new Europe.