that farmers should not sell mangostees individually, but that the price setting should be done by all farmers altogether. Then, the government established a technological center there, and provided support for young farmers to improve their cultivation techniques. After these activities were carried out, they set prices higher than the market price, but they succeeded. This has become a source of revenue for local residents, and has been developed as a business that is suitable and profitable for them. Since then, the government needed to obtain permission from the group of representatives of the local residents each time they dealt with the mangosteen-related project. The community has been empowered, and it has become necessary for the government to respect the opinions of the local residents. In addition, although the leaders have not changed, the focus of the activities has gradually shifted to the younger generation. Such a case also shows that community planning needs to be in accordance with the realities in the region. The personality of the leader who has gained the trust of the community is important, and general improvements for the promotion of participation are also crucial. A profitable environment, which allows local residents to say "no" without worries, must be created. That is one of the objectives of CLCs.

Mr. Khammang: I would like to talk about voluntary participation at the community level, and about the decisive power of local residents. Based on the discussions we have had so far, and based on yesterday's visit to community centers, we have nderstood that there are various levels of CLCs, and that the contents of their activities and objectives are also diversified. In the case of Laos, most local residents do not have a high education level. Laos has a literacy rate of 78%, and this is one of the major issues for CLCs. The majority of the population is composed of farmers, and the poverty rate is high. Because basic needs such as acquiring food and education are the first-priority issues for the local population, it is difficult to expect voluntary participation from them, and there is no other choice but to promote it gradually. The role of the government has been set to that of a facilitator. Programs must be rooted in people's needs. Anything other than basic skills and matters related to life improvement is difficult to appeal to the poor. The majority of programs combine literacy and basic vocational training, but once the local population understands that these are useful for daily life, they participate. In addition, if attendance to the vocational training results in a better income, more participation can be expected. Furthermore, leadership by people from among the local population is an important key to participation.

## Learning to consider the local population as a resource

Mr. Suemoto: One of the important points in international discussions on today's adult education is the perspective of "self-directed learning". What is common in all countries is a learning style in which the program is prepared by the government, or by the staff, for the local population to participate in. In this case, the staff has the responsibility, and a distinction appears between the "organizing" side and the "participating" side, causing a difference of standpoint between the "teaching" side and the "taught" side.