Asia and the Pacific

Ganokendra (Bengali for people’s centres) and Community Learning Centres in Bangladesh focus primarily on developing literacy skills among out-of-school children, youth and adults living in marginalized rural communities, particularly women. The objective is to support sustainable local development. The activities cover aspects of income generation and basic literacy, as well as health, sanitation and early childhood care. Social events are organized for the promotion of literacy, such as theatre shows, writing competitions and local magazine publication.

The Seoul 50 Plus Foundation aims to improve the quality of life of older people by promoting a balanced lifestyle, social participation and the sharing of deep experiences. The initiative was introduced to ‘build social capital and solve social problems’ of Seoul. The programme is targeted at adults between the ages of 50 and 64; it provides customized services for the ‘50+ generation’ by integrating employment, welfare, education and counselling policies.

‘Let the Schools Become Life’ is a project that supports lifelong learning in Turkey by utilizing local school resources such as computer labs, libraries, sporting facilities and playgrounds.

The Silver Infocomm Initiative (SII) was developed in 2007 by Infocomm Media Development Authority in Singapore. The initiative targets digital inclusion of senior citizens aged 50 and above. SII promotes IT awareness and literacy among seniors to empower them in a digital society for a more engaged and connected lifestyle. About 200,000 seniors have benefitted from the SII initiative and its activities, such as the Silver IT Fest Plus, mass training and roadshows, classes at Silver Infocomm Junctions (SIJs) and Intergen IT Bootcamps (Infocomm Media Development Authority, 2018).

The Constitution of the Republic of Korea acknowledges that all citizens ‘shall have an equal right to receive an education corresponding to their abilities’ and gives the state a duty to ‘promote lifelong education’. Lifelong learning (LLL) is implemented across national and local levels. The 1999 Lifelong Education Act establishes that all levels of government are responsible for promoting lifelong education policies that provide all citizens with opportunities to participate in lifelong education. The Act also requires the Ministry of Education to develop a comprehensive lifelong education promotion plan every five years at the national level, setting mid- and long-term policy objectives and the basic direction of lifelong learning promotion.