Reflecting on the global report on adult learning and education in the “post-truth society”

Abstract

This article contextualizes and reviews the third global report on adult learning
 and education (ALE) released by UNESCO in 2016. The authors suggest that it is a
 visionary document, which is articulated through the bringing together of data from
 a range of areas that are usually kept apart. They recognize the report as a bold
 attempt to project what role ALE plays, or could play, within a holistic philosophy
 and approach to lifelong learning. They argue that given the ambitious nature of the
 task, and the inevitable tensions and contradictions that exist within a report of this
 nature, the report both fails to present a robust picture of ALE and succeeds as
 an advocacy document toward achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals.
 They recognize that the political and pedagogical work undertaken by the third Global
 Report on Adult Learning and Education is at an early stage. Alongside this work, they
 argue for the importance of the broader nonformal and informal ALE, including
 popular education, as a means of challenging the “post-truth society.”