And while formal education still represents the cornerstone of teaching, the less formal settings of the home, the workplace, the community and society are integral parts of the learning environment too, just as they are part of the foundations of economies and societies. Lifelong learning is already a reality in many OECD countries. The challenge is to find ways of extending it to all. The importance of basic education cannot be emphasised enough. Lifelong learning policy must begin by strengthening the education of the young.
Research suggests that children absorb much more in the first decade of life than thereafter.
Early education brings long-term benefits, not only by reducing spending on adult remedial programmes later on, but by equipping people with learning tools that will serve them and their societies for the rest of their lives. They were right. These are the essential tools for lifelong learning. Preventing under-achievement and premature school leaving, and facilitating the transition from conventional education to working life are key to building lifelong learning policies. The linkages between different sectors of education and training have to be strengthened, and the pathways between learning and work made more flexible.