Entitlement and Right
ALFiE has drawn up a Bill of Rights for adult learners which outlines the entitlements that adult learners feel are essential to their full involvement in their education. Adult education, in all its guises, should be considered a right rather than a luxury. We therefore, fully support the committee's views on entitlement. We agree that entitlement will empower learners but we feel this sense of empowerment can stretch beyond the individual learner to a more shared sense of ownership. ALFiE argues that entitlement should stretch to the right to be involved in the decision and policy-making process at all levels

Protecting Informal Learning
The committee's recommendation in relation to protected funding for the informal sector is an essential building block in the development of a culture of learning within communities. All too often adult education is at the front line of funding reductions. Only this year it is estimated that cuts in funding in FE in the Lothians would result in the loss of 15,000 adult places in colleges.

Student Advice
The proposal to form a Lifelong Learning Advisory Council is a welcome development and we were delighted to see the proposal to include learner representation. We wonder however how this will be achieved. Without a national learner-led body to represent learners how will we ensure that learners are at the heart of decision-making? ALFiE would like to see some tangible support from the committee and the executive for the establishment of an independent national adult learners' forum funded through subscription which would be truly representative of learners'needs and interests.

What’s it all about, ALFiE?
ALFiE is currently Edinburgh-based. However, we are in touch with organisations throughout the country and we have plans to form a nation-wide forum of learners. If you have an interest in adult education and you would like to help us build a representative body for adult learners, please contact us at: alfieforum@hotmail.com

ALFiE downloads
• Adult Learners' Bill of Rights leaflet in PDF format. (If you would like a copy of our leaflet posted to you, please let us).

• Literacies Research Report in PDF or Word format.

• Original 'Update' page in PDF format.

(If you need Acrobat Reader to view the pdf files, click here to instal the free program).