“Promotion of Lifelong Learning in South Asia: Lifelong Learning for a Sustainable Future. Environment. Economy. Society”

Declaration of 8th of January as the “ASEM LLL Hub Lifelong Learning Day”

ASEM LLL Hub Regional Centre for South Asia

The South Asia region is not lacking in lifelong learning so much as lacking in dedicated policies on lifelong learning and the resources to deliver a comprehensive programme to reach the learning needs of a diverse population and the complex challenges both now and into the future.

Addressing these challenges create many opportunities and benefits for everyone in South Asia. Moving from traditional ideas of education to ones that embraces the flexibility, inclusivity and dynamic nature of lifelong learning opens up whole new vistas, in formal, non-formal and informal domains. They span from including many who are today being left behind to creating opportunities for enhancing advanced knowledge and skills for professionals, recognising the benefits of traditional, non-formal and informal learning, to really opening up learning as the driving force of our education systems.

The ASEM LLL Hub Regional Centre for South Asia is endeavouring to be a key change-maker in creating a lifelong learning ecosystem. This is being driven through supporting key stakeholders including industry, community organisations, universities, schools and colleges; policy-makers; researchers; educational professionals; people designing and delivering lifelong learning at all levels and learners too.

The ASEM LLL Hub Regional Centre for South Asia has already started its work through creating awareness about lifelong learning in South Asia. It has established itself as a common platform to bring all engaged stakeholders together for the promotion of lifelong learning in all its diversity. It an unprecedented development in South Asia. The buy-in from stakeholders like educational institutions, civil society organisations, industry, philanthropists, and even state bodies is very impressive, demonstrating a huge ambition for change and new levels of achievement in all areas of lifelong learning in South Asia.

To develop lifelong learning ecosystems in the region,ASEM (Asia Europe Meeting) LLL Hub Regional Centre for South Asia engages stakeholders along four primary areas:

  1. Research-based Courses, Workshops, Exchange & Internships offered in South Asia including in-person, hybrid and online opportunities for students, researchers, and professionals.
  2. Collaborative Projects with local and international partners to explore Evidence & Create Value: These projects are put together under one umbrella project on creating Lifelong Learning Ecosystems in South Asia its virtual counterpart – a Virtual Learning City. Apart from that, a standard competency framework is planned to be developed to highlight that learning might happen without formal qualifications and there have to be pathways to recognise and value learning that takes place across settings (formal, non-formal and informal), disciplines, and stages of life.
  3. Evidence-informed Advocacy, Policy and Strategies for Policy Stakeholders including
    1. Statements, Declarations, Briefs, Publications and Status Reports.
    2. Orientation-programs for stakeholders related with the development, implementation, and evaluation of policy.
  4. Events and other activities for
    1. Need Analysis of stakeholders;
    2. Resource Profiling of stakeholders;
    3. Creating visibility for the efforts of ASEM Members and Partner Institutions; and
    4. Creating awareness about lifelong learning.

A timeline of events can be accessed here

From 6-8th January, 2025, the ASEM LLL Hub Regional Centre for South Asia coordganised an International Conference on “Lifelong Learning for a Sustainable Future. Environment. Economy. Society at Adi Shankara Institute of Engineering and Technology, Kalady, Kerala.

The conference attracted more than 2200 participants (stakeholders from all over the world) present in-person and several eminent people online. The conference was widely covered in local newspapers and local TV.

The conference led to the

  1. Release of South Asia Declaration on the “Promotion of Lifelong Learning in South Asia: Lifelong Learning for a Sustainable Future. Environment. Economy. Society” (See attachement)
  2. Declaration of 8th of January as the “ASEM LLL Hub Lifelong Learning Day”
  3. Establishment of ASEM LLL Hub Regional Centre for South Asia’s regional centre at the Adi Shankara Institute of Engineering and Technology, Kalady, Kerala.

For further details please explore the ASEM LLL Hub Regional Centre for South Asia page here: https://asemlllhub.org/south-asia-centre or write to the ASEM LLL Hub South Asia Coordinator, Dr. Shalini Singh at: contactingshalinisingh@gmail.com