What is meant in the country when you talk about Adult Education?
"A set of formal and non-formal educational opportunities aimed at adults, both Italians and migrants" with the goal of acquiring skills connected to work and social life, and to assist entry into the formal professional education and training system. Training is offered to young people as early as sixteen (they must currently stay in full-time education until sixteen), but it is known as 'adult education' from the age of 25.
There are two different fields in terms of adult education; adult instruction (IdA) entrusted to the Ministry of Education and Professional Training (FP), run by regional and provincial authorities.
Main obstacles in increasing adult educational levels:
A return to illiteracy: through obsolescence of knowledge or skills, adults with diplomas no longer possess competitive and up-to-date abilities;
Illiteracy: even adults with degrees are not able to express certain concepts such as symbolism and other abstract mental functions linked to scientific disciplines, due to a lack of practice and/or lack of basic training.
Lack of practice using one's memory: lack of practice and inability to link phenomena and facts in past and recent history, which nevertheless make up the framework within which we can intelligently express a critical opinion of social and civil life. This lack of practice is certainly linked to the uncontrolled and pervasive use of the media.