Adult education in Westerstede: cheers and outlook on the future!

Adult education in Westerstede: cheers and outlook on the future!

Westerstede, Deutschland - The district college (KVHS) Ammerland recently celebrated its anniversary in Westerstede. The focus of the celebrations was the importance of adult education and the challenges that need to be addressed in the future. Among the invited guests was Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer, President of the German Volk High School Association (DVV).

The KVHS is emphasized as a carrier of social space work, integration and welfare offers. The importance of adult education as a place of encounter and strengthening democracy was emphasized. Dr. Devrimsel Deniz Nergiz drew attention to the importance of inclusive political participation and a social dialogue. District Administrator Karin Harms praised the KVHS as the central player for social participation and equal opportunities.

future challenges and topics

KVHS managing director Winfried Krüger spoke about future topics such as the aging society, demographic change and health. One central goal is to increase the educational activity of older people. Other planned topics include digitization, artificial intelligence as well as the securing and gaining of specialists. Interested parties can find out more about the offers in the course program or take part in the summer festival on August 21st.

The discussion about digital participation is closely linked to adult education, because technological change affects numerous areas of life. It is necessary to ensure access to infrastructure and technology as well as digital knowledge in order to avoid disadvantages. These challenges affect particularly marginalized groups, such as people with a migration background, people with disabilities and people with low incomes, as is listed in an article by de Gruyter.

digital inequalities manifest themselves in areas such as access to public services, job searches and in education systems. The Covid 19 pandemic has reinforced these digital inequalities. A toolkit for creating inclusive educational offers was developed to promote digital participation. An example of this is an online course for people with escape experience that aims to convey digital skills in a practical way.

The special consideration of individual needs and living conditions is crucial for the relevance and effectiveness of educational offers. Digital justice requires a comprehensive perspective that focuses on both technical and social factors. De Gruyter reported in detail in an article.