12th May 2011

View the full program as PDF

12.00 – 1.15 p.m.

Opening ceremony

The President of the German Adult Education Association, Prof. Dr. Rita Süssmuth, will welcome the numerous guests from home and abroad, from politics, business and science, and of course from the Adult Education Centres. More...

Federal President Christian Wulff
Prof. Dr. E. Jürgen Zöllner, Senator for Education, Science and Research, Representative of the State of Berlin
Dr. Bernd Althusmann, President of the Standing Conference
Prof. Dr. Rita Süssmuth, President of the DVV

1:30 p.m.

Continuing Education fair and communication forum

The Continuing Education fair and the communication forum will take place collateral to the congress.

2.30 – 4.30 p.m.

Three parallel forums

In the forums, important social issues will be discussed based on the new position “Adult Education institutes – Education as public responsibility.” Well-known personalities from education, science, politics and business will discuss how training, both in Germany and around the world, can respond to the challenges ahead and what it can contribute to solving problems.

Speakers from abroad will also participate in the forums. All parts of the event will be simultaneously translated into English and German.

Forum 1

Education – key to the integration of people, cultures and social environments
Education for all, regardless of social class, gender, education and age, religion, philosophy and citizenship: This is part of the basic understanding of the Adult Education Centres. More...

Dr. Lale Akgün, Integration Expert
Vernor Munoz, Former United Nations Special Rapporteur on Right to Education
Dr. Manfred Schmidt, President of the Federal Office for Migration and Refugees (BAMF)
Sue Waddington, President of the European Adult Education Association (EAEA)
Prof. Dr. Rita Suessmuth, President of the DVV

Moderator: Susanne Deß, Operating Manager of the VHS Esslingen

Forum 2

VHS 21 – Citizen participation as a source of strength for a vibrant democracy
Germany has a new hot topic: citizen participation. 2010 was the year of citizen protests, which reached a preliminary “peak” in the dispute over Stuttgart 21. More...

Secretary of State Zülfiye Kaykin, Ministry of Labour, Social Affairs and Integration of North Rhine-Westphalia
Thomas Krüger, Federal Agency for Civic Education
Dr. George Ladaah Openjuru, Chairman of Uganda's Adult Education Association
Dr. Richard Precht, Philosopher
Dr. Ernst Dieter Rossmann MdB, Chairman of the DVV

Moderator: Reiner Hammelrath, Director of the State Association of Adult Education Centres of North Rhine-Westphalia

Forum 3

Education Gap and Age Trap? - Lifelong Learning in the Digital Age
The unequal use of the Internet not only creates one digital divide, but many of them. One thing is clear: High-income groups use the Internet more than low-income groups, educated people are online more than the less educated, men more than women, younger people more than older people. More...

Jutta Croll, Managing Director of Stiftung Digitale Chancen / Digital Opportunities Foundation
Prof. Dr. Ursula Lehr, Former Federal Minister, Chairman of BAGSO
Prof. Dr. (em.) Heinz Mandl, University of Munich
Prof. Dr. Katarina Popovic, Professor of Andragogy at the University of Belgrade
Dr. Dagmar Engels, Director of the Vh Ulm, Member of the Board of the DVV

Moderator: Dr. Christoph Köck, Manager hvv-Institute of the Hessen Adult Education Association

5.00 – 6.00 p.m.

Plenum: Education without Borders

Adult Education Centres are networked with partner organisations at the national, European and international level in many ways. They orient their program development on European standards. More...

Literacy and Basic Skills Development

H.R.H. Princess Laurentien of the Netherlands, UNESCO Special Envoy on Literacy for Development, Chair of the High-Level Expert Group on Literacy (set up by the European Commission)