Education Science and Technology and Life

  The media, television in particular, should focus on the task of familiarizing a larger audience - not just a minority already interested - with science and technology literacy and on increasing their willingness to engage in lifelong learning and testing the skills they has acquired. Further education courses on the use of the new technologies in industry and public administration are too narrow and job-specific. The companies and public administrations in question should provide more broadly based training and take into account the fact that more broadly trained personnel are ultimately a gain for their employers. In addition to the courses provided for senior citizens by adult education institutions, it is recommended that funding be provided for so-called "senior citizen academies" allowing older people to benefit from technological progress and to preserve and use the basic education in science and technology they have acquired in the past.  

  Public adult education institutions should offer more refresher courses related to science and technology literacy - with a view to lifelong learning - and set up working groups for Internet use. Courses should also be offered for retired people to make sure that the knowledge and skills they have acquired will not be lost and they will be able to keep up with developments in technology. Public libraries should make computers available to their users for further education purposes. Adult education courses organized in the private sector should no longer be restricted to the teaching of narrowly specialized knowledge relating to specific occupations. Particularly the political parties and trade unions agencies offering courses of this kind should make an effort to teach a broader range of knowledge. Multimedia distance study programmes offered in further education should comply with the above-described minimum standard. The aim should be to encourage everyone to learn how to w...