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The Macao Declaration

THE MACAU DECLARATION 2008

East Asia Forum for Adult Education (EAFAE) is a non-profit organization that encompasses urbanized countries namely Korea, Japan, China, Singapore, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau. It serves to research, train, inform, document and publish issues and concerns on functional literacy, non-formal and informal education, adult and lifelong learning. EAFAE also strives to advance the process of lifelong learning for all in all in these countries and to extend it to the rest of the world.

We, the participants at the 8th Assembly of the East Asia Forum of Adult Education (EAFAE) are gathered here in solidarity and are saddened by the quakes in Mainland China and Myanmar. We also felt the lost of our great buddy, the late Chia Mun Onn who had passed away last October. He was our most industrious Vice-President of International Affairs EAFAE and Country Representative of Singapore. We are keen to share issues and challenges on human resource development and lifelong learning in ageing societies of our East Asian industrialized countries and surrounding regions. We would like to raise awareness of these issues amongst governments, NGOs, educators, and adult learners and request its implementation as much as possible. The participants in this Assembly hereby declare that:

  • Lifelong learning is a basic human right, and adult education is a key to the development of an individualˇ¦s employability.
  • Adult educators in East Asian industrialized societies should work together to advance lifelong learning in Asia, and make concerted efforts to identify resource people who can give an impact on the world of learning.
  • There is a need to strike a balance between lifelong learning and other human resource development by examining alternative approaches to development of human resource.
  • To encourage the development of an international network of researches for lifelong learning in East Asian societies.
  • To share the institutional lifelong learning experience in South Korea and Japan with other East Asians countries.
  • To encourage more Chinese speaking members from mainland China to participate in sharing of their lifelong learning experience.
  • Adult education is not the prerogative of government agencies alone; it is also the role of NGOs to facilitate the individualˇ¦s learning to be active socially and economically.
  • To develop a research base in adult education and human resource development in East Asian societies.
  • To encourage members to share the unique development of adult education in their countries because of their different historical background.
  • Adult education in East Asian societies is the development of lifelong learning, personal development, and learning to be good students.
  • We are concerned with the global emission of carbon dioxide and wish to raise awareness of issues pertaining to reducing carbon footprints and improving physical environment.
  • The mental health of employees especially amongst lower wage earners is affecting human resource development, and there is a need to share learning in this area.
  • Adult education can play an useful role in promoting collaborative learning in active citizenship where people learn to judge value of information posted by authorities and other on-line media.
  • Global climate changes and knowledge economy explosion have profound effect on employment rate. It is suggested that a lifelong learning network be established to share studies on such issues.
  • Adult educators in East Asian industrialized countries wish to work closelywith International Council of Adult Education (ICAE) Asia on issues pertaining to lifelong learning and human resource development.
  • Adult educators in East Asian industrialized countries will continue to maintain good working relations with ASPBAE.
  • We will expand our family of adult educators to include urbanized societies from Mainland China and ASEAN.
  • Adult educators in East Asian countries will see the 2nd strategic thrust of exchanging information and networking amongst members and friends to make EAFAE a worldˇ¦s player in the adult education and lifelong learning.

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