50 years of the Austrian Adult Education Conference (KEBÖ)

Adult education in a changing society

Governor Johanna Mikl-Leitner, in her role as President of the Association of Austrian Educational Organisations, opened the ceremony with a speech and thanked KEBÖ ‘for everything that has happened and been achieved for adult education in Austria over the last five decades. It is the ten non-profit adult education organisations that make lifelong learning possible and are therefore local providers of education - in urban and rural areas.’

‘Those who have a sound education and are up to date have better opportunities in life and in the world of work,’ says Mikl-Leitner. She emphasised that learning is not over when you finish school: ‘Lifelong learning is a constant companion and that is precisely why the work that KEBÖ has been doing for 50 years is so important.’

Education Minister Martin Polaschek pointed out that, particularly in the current crises and challenges, KEBÖ has a special role to play as an umbrella organisation and mouthpiece for the concerns and interests of Austrian adult education. The Federal Minister emphasised the need for educational opportunities to develop an awareness of democratic coexistence and to build trust in science and research. 

Before the pandemic, the ten KEBÖ associations registered around 235,000 events a year at a total of 6,200 locations with over 4.2 million participants. Martin Polaschek recognised these achievements and addressed the guests: ‘You are so important because you have your finger on the pulse and are very close to the people.’ In conclusion, he summarised that education is not only a personal, but also a socio-political mission.  

Review and outlook

In a panel discussion, representatives from four associations gave their assessments of the development of adult education to date and also provided an outlook for the future. Sabine Letz (VÖGB), Tatjana Baborek (WIFI), John Evers (VÖV) and Georg Primas (RÖBW) agreed that adult education needs solid basic funding, secure national funding in order to be able to utilise European funding and cooperation with the Ministry of Education on an equal footing. The KEBÖ federal associations play a special role in this context because they have the structure, expertise and innovative spirit to coordinate and implement education policy measures throughout Austria.

Shaping change

This year's keynote speaker Uwe Gartenschlaeger, President of the European Adult Education Association (EAEA), offered an international perspective. In his presentation, he highlighted the current global crises and the role that adult education can play in solving them.
He emphasised that in the context of ‘Education for Sustainable Development’, there is a high degree of urgency, as existential crises such as climate change cannot wait ‘until today's schoolchildren become ecologically enlightened adults.’
Enabling digital participation and lifelong digital learning is also an indispensable contribution. 
Adult education must continue to face up to current challenges and enable people to deal with current social transformations and actively shape social change.