Books by Katarina Popovic
Citizenship Education and ALE, 2022
The relevance of citizenship education (CED) for the further development of adult learning and ed... more The relevance of citizenship education (CED) for the further development of adult learning and education (ALE) and its impact on (current and future) ALE practice from ICAE’s perspective. Contribution of ICAE members with best practice examples.
Background research paper supporting the thematic chapter of GRALE 5, 2020 (CONFINTEA VII)
ISBN 978-86-82022-04-6
Financing adult learning and education, 2021
Curriculum globALE - Competency framework for adult educators, 2021
Curriculum globALE is a basic competence
framework for the training of adult educators worldwide.... more Curriculum globALE is a basic competence
framework for the training of adult educators worldwide.
By providing a modular, competency-based framework and
cross-curricular approach, Curriculum globALE is unique in its
aim to professionalize adult learning and education (ALE) on
an international scale, via the competencies that support adult
educators to work in any educational setting, field or form.
It strives to ensure that educators’ knowledge, competencies,
skills and attitudes are of a professional standard.
Curriculum globALE is suitable to different contexts and its
character and structure enables its inclusion in diverse national
education systems.
ISBN 978-92-820-1240-6
Pismenost pod globalnom lupom (Literacy under the global lenses), 2019
Knjiga se bavi problemima merenja i praćenja pismenosti, analizirajući pristupe, koncepte i metod... more Knjiga se bavi problemima merenja i praćenja pismenosti, analizirajući pristupe, koncepte i metode merenja na nacionalnom, regionalnom i globalnom nivou.
(The book deals with challenges of measuring and monitoring literacy, examining approaches, concepts, and measurement methods at the national, regional, and global levels.)
EDITOR & INTRODUCTION
Contemporary adult education policy development and lifelong learning prac... more EDITOR & INTRODUCTION
Contemporary adult education policy development and lifelong learning practice are experiencing an autonomy loss imposed by the dominant neoliberal economic paradigm. As a consequence, in many countries, especially those that depend economically from supranational organizations and donors, the critical approach and its adjunct idea of emancipation have been sacrificed in favour of ambiguous developmental goals like employability, flexibility and adaptability. On the other hand, in many countries, adult education as a social movement is deeply rooted in the conviction that learning is an essential process related to personal transformation and social change. The result of this conflict between the external pressure for policies in favour of the labour market and the internal assumption about the value of emancipation has led to interesting insights that have produced policies and practices that attempt to reconcile these two forces of development. In this volume, we offer a consideration of the above paradoxical situation, and the critical view of adult education policy and practice in the region of Southeastern Europe. Some chapters in this volume present also positive lifelong learning practices, policy development analyses and conceptual understandings that highlight the efforts to develop adult education within a framework of the dominant neoliberal forces that shape European and international adult education policy.
EDITOR & INTRODUCTION
(ESREA -European Society for Research on the Education of Adults Adult Ed... more EDITOR & INTRODUCTION
(ESREA -European Society for Research on the Education of Adults Adult Education Society)
EDITOR
The International Council for Adult Education (ICAE) continues to inspire dialog, exchang... more EDITOR
The International Council for Adult Education (ICAE) continues to inspire dialog, exchange of ideas and critical reflection on highly relevant
topics in adult education. Through this virtual seminar ICAE, in cooperation with DVV international, therefore wants to promote a debate and dialogue on selected articles from DVV International’s journal Adult Education and Development.
This offers the chance to discuss the topics raised in the print issue in a virtual seminar and to go deeper and broaden the analysis. It creates
a virtual space as an opportunity to share experiences from different regions and contexts, and to inspire new initiatives.
This years´ virtual seminar focuses on skills and competencies. Promoting a holistic approach to adult education, which includes all areas of life and work, ICAE wants to support the discussion about skills for life, work, and citizenship, and foster an integral perspective, which would help avoiding silos way of thinking in adult education.
Such an approach could also contribute to the recognition that education is essential for the success of all sustainable development goals.
REVIEW
In her latest book, Katarina Popović, Professor of Andragogy at the University of Bel... more REVIEW
In her latest book, Katarina Popović, Professor of Andragogy at the University of Belgrade, former Vice President of the European Association for Education of Adults, and Secretary General of the International Council for Adult Education, gives herself an colossal, and very timely task of analysing the historical developments and contemporary trends in global adult education policy, and their implications for the regional and local contexts, and the academic field of adult education research alike. She completes this task with much gusto. With her feet planted both in academia and policy circles, Popović has a unique vantage point from which to analyse the changing world of adult education, and she is using it to her best advantage, painting the global policy landscape in great detail, and with great verve. This results in eight ingeniously titled chapters in which the author maps the contextual development of the concept through its various iterations.
The analysis takes major global policy actors (UNESCO, World Bank, OECD, EU, and the international third sector) as a point of departure, competently weaving together detailed explanations of the actors’ preferred styles of governance – including policy creation, diffusion, homogenisation, monitoring, and support – in the individual, national, and global struggle to secure the knowledge in the fight against postmodern uncertainty (pp. 30-34). Importantly, the author reflects in particular on the historical positioning, influence, and the power play between these actors, and its effect in creating connections and antagonisms between different concepts launched throughout the past six decades or so: adult education, continuous education, recurrent education, lifelong education, and its contemporary iteration in lifelong learning, and in thus transforming the field of (adult) education and reshaping the ways of the learning self.
Distinguished from its conceptual predecessors the current, seemingly minor alteration with the focus on learning, creates, in one of the book’s main arguments, a new vehicle for the neo-liberal development agenda, in which knowledge is highly functional, montesiable, and most importantly, the responsibility of the individual with the notion of the greater (economic) good for themselves and the society, as the chief motivator of (primarily) individual development. Such changes, the author argues, have led to the post-structuralist, seemingly post-institutionalist (at least in the way of execution) approach to education, with the sites of learning becoming diffused, and the learning activity self-directed and self regulated (p. 122). Alongside this argument, Popović also reflects on the effects of the diffusion of sites of learning, and responsabilitisation of the individual, on the science of adult education, potentially rendering it redundant altogether. In this way, the book never veers from one of its proclaimed aims, which is considering the implication of the concept development not just for the global learning community, but for the educational paradigm and the adult education discipline as well.
The rich contextual, historical, and institutional analysis enables the author to provide strong support to her reservations towards the adult education discourse change; she certainly is not lonely in providing a critical view of these trends, but the way in which she does it is thorough, innovative, and pertinent. One of its greatest contributions lies in a nuanced approach to adult education policy development through a prism of intersecting analyses of the adult education research conceptualisation and methodology (with a strong focus on the distinction, or indeed lack thereof, between policy and politics) and the ongoing changes in education policymaking that come as a result of a post-structural diffusion of power and governance between the state, the private sector, and the supranational entities. Another is in the author’s inter-national positioning, which enables her to dissect the topic using multiple linguistic, cultural, and academic tools. This results in a comprehensive and well-balanced overview of the topic’s treatment from diverse cultural and academic – including, without wanting to sound atomistic, non-Western – perspectives.
From re-building the world post-WWI to looking beyond the Millennium Development Goals, from UNESCO’s ‘softer’ and more inclusive approach, reflected in the early postulate of ‘education in the service of peace and humanity’ (p. 38), to the rising influence of the World Bank and its effect on the neoliberalisation of educational discourse, we are given a somewhat discomforting portrayal, as if in a room of distorting mirrors, of what it means to be a learner, to learn, what knowledge is, and what its purpose is supposed to be; we are shown how this is influenced by the economic and geo-political trends and decided on a global scale, but on a very uneven playing field, with different rules for different players.
Beyond criticism of the WB’s neoliberal, unidirectional, and almost neo-colonial (as the author notes on p. 253) ways, which is truthfully not entirely unusual in educational research, particular attention seems to be given to the elite club that is OECD and its enthusiasm for comparisons and rankings, its technocratic approach instrumentalising education into a way of providing the individual with a set of tools and competencies, and producing very specific – and potentially most widely internalised (hence the concern) governance mechanisms that measure, but at the same time (re)create the goals of education. Of PISA, applicable to its adult education counterpart PIAAC discussed later in the text, the author says: ‘PISA diagnoses, but it also creates, it studies, but it also carries with it a cultural dictum; in this way, it confidently redefines basic concepts – of how we see learners, learning, knowledge, curriculum... With very concrete consequences, for example in curriculum restructuring’ (p. 134). This is an observation that could easily be extended to any and all of the players described in this book, but relevant to OECD due to its rising influence (see, e.g. pp. 140-1 for the comparison of the extent of participation and influence of OECD-produced PIACC with that of UNESCO-produced GRALE, and UNESCO’s recent acceptance of some of the efficacy and efficiency narratives and advocacy of a stronger cooperation with OECD and the WB).
In the meantime, EU, with its overt focus on unity, cooperation, and stability, is seen to have embraced what the author recognises as a neoliberal form of the concept of lifelong learning, possibly due to the fears surrounding Europe’s competitiveness alongside the US and the Asian tiger economies. Although Popović is not neglecting the more humanist discourse constructed in the, for example, Lisbon strategy, she wryly asks whether ‘this new, upgraded, upskilled, trained, and reskilled [Homo Economicus] would also manage to be innovative, proactive, creative, and critical [...]’ (p. 176).
In the final chapters, Popović turns to INGOs in all their diversity and lobbying power, noting in particular their power of creating a forum for other, supra- and inter-governmental actors to meet with the bottom-up demands, contributing thus to the ‘democratisation of global governance’ (p. 228), offering a diversification of approaches to the question of adult education, and some alternatives (including feminist, poscolonial, environmental) to the dominant discourses constructed by the actors discussed earlier in the text.
A prospective reader would be incorrect in assuming that the volume before them is a cynical, defeatist cry of the academic left. In her concluding remarks, Popović very soberly, and quite pragmatically, asks about the purpose and the future of adult education, both as a concept and as a discipline, in the world portrayed in the previous 300-strong pages. Reflecting on the current economic, environmental, security and geopolitical crises faced by us all, she invites a more constructive grappling with challenging issues, a more productive dialogue, and a more proactive, engaged attitude from the academic community, in a plea not to let the beautifully coined ‘unbearable lightness of indifference’ (p. 306) leave the future of adult education in the hands of others.
In spite of its sardonic veneer, this review of contemporary policy developments does not leave behind a barren wasteland depiction of the adult education’s multifarious potential – on the contrary, at its best, it gives both the scholars and the bureaucrats sharp tools to continue carving it out. Thorough in its background research and confident in handling the different iterations of the concept, but relentless in its cool assessment of the current trading in the term and its many uses and users, this book is a necessary read both for those wading through the murky waters of adult education, and those only beginning to dip their toes. Perhaps the best way to describe the author’s cautious, yet hopeful attitude is in its nurturing, what a young andragogy student recently described as healthy pessimism. In these days of seeking easy fixes and quick solutions to deep-rooted problems of inequality, insecurity, and power imbalance, or indeed, resorting to giving them an ivory tower treatment, everyone who is a part of the adult education discourse – and we all are – could do with a healthy dose of it.
This book resulted from the project: Functional Basic Education of Adult Roma of Roma Education F... more This book resulted from the project: Functional Basic Education of Adult Roma of Roma Education Fund, accomplished within the global project: Education and Learning - Prerequisites for European Integrations financed by the Ministry of Science and Environmental Protection of the Republic of Serbia.
This publication/Guide came about based on and after the im- plementation of the FBEAR experiment and, in addition to experiences acquired, it summarises long-standing scientific knowledge in the area of adult education, in the following sections:
Section 1 – Current situation in the area of (basic) adult edu- cation. Brief overview of current conditions in the area of basic adult education is provided in this section in parallel with the conditions prevailing in this area in the beginning of transition, from 2001 to date.
Section 2 – FBEA: programme and instruments. In this sec- tion, summarised knowledge and instruments for functionalisation of basic adult education are laid out. They are the result of a long-term scientific and professional work of the highest educational institutions in Serbia. After a brief overview of advantages of the new vs. the old model of adult education, it provides the explanation of OOO key for functionalisation, interpretation of the term, its purpose, principle and goals and description of instruments necessary for development and implementation of the FBEA programme – from methodology of cur- riculum development through organisation of learning, adult educa- tion and training curriculum to methods for certification of trainings. Generally speaking, this section can be understood as the description for preparation of conditions, concepts and instruments for applica- tion of the FBEA model.
Section 3 – FBEA(R) as active measure: example of good practice. The subject of this section is the description of the FBEAR ex- periment implementation process – from the creation of operational plan and concept through setting up of legal and institutional frame- works for its implementation, course of implementation and conver- sion of experiment into a particular active measure. It also provides the explanation of the strategy and outreach of active measure, role of social partnership (vertical and horizontal), sketch of organisational structure, management of experiment and process monitoring. In the end, this section lays out achieved results and their direct and indi- rect beneficiaries. This section is the source of acquired experiences, lessons learned and inspiration for planning the projects and actions aimed at future education of adults (particularly Roma).
Section 4 – Sustainability and replicability. This section pro- vides an overview of the factors of the FBEA model sustainability, pos-
sibilities of its universal application and challenges i.e. possibilities to institutionalise this programme.
Section 5 – recommendations and conclusion. This section lays out key considerations and main recommendations for institu- tionalisation of functional basic education of adults.
Report prepared in 2013 by dvv international network in South East Europe,
as part of the “CONFIN... more Report prepared in 2013 by dvv international network in South East Europe,
as part of the “CONFINTEA VI - follow up” project
Coordination: Adult Education Society, Belgrade
Regional Report for UNESCO CONFINTEA VI -
Development and State of the Art of Adult Learning and... more Regional Report for UNESCO CONFINTEA VI -
Development and State of the Art of Adult Learning and Education in South East Europe (2008)
Adult education experts have given a lot of thought to the concepts of skills and competences, es... more Adult education experts have given a lot of thought to the concepts of skills and competences, especially in basic adult education. In the late 1980s Serbian adult educators, supported by UNESCO, started to develop models and programmes for the functional basic education of adults, which combines work skills with basic life skills. This process was stopped in the 1990s and continued only after the political changes, when reforms in a range of areas, including adult education, were launched.
This paper describes some experiences in functional basic adult education in Serbia from 2000 to the present, along with background information on adult education, including some statistical data, and a look at selected policy and strategic measures, and overview of the Eu supported project "Second Chance" for functional basic education of adults in Serbia
National report for CONFINTEA VI UNESCO conference in Brasil:
Serbia - Development and State of t... more National report for CONFINTEA VI UNESCO conference in Brasil:
Serbia - Development and State of the Art of Adult Learning and Education,
Der Beitrag Rudolf Reuters zur Theorie und Praxis der Erwachsenenbildung, 1994
Papers by Katarina Popovic
BRILL eBooks, Jan 24, 2020
Gender identity has been one of the most important aspects in studies on education and learning, ... more Gender identity has been one of the most important aspects in studies on education and learning, but remains rather neglected in adult education. However, it is generally accepted that gender identity is largely socially constructed through social mechanisms.
Studies on adult learning and education, 2023
The COVID-19 pandemic has caused unprecedented disruptions to global education systems, with adul... more The COVID-19 pandemic has caused unprecedented disruptions to global education systems, with adult education shifting to a virtual world and relying heavily on digital and ICT tools to maintain continuity of learning. However, the prolonged pandemic raises important questions about the future of adult education. The current essay examines the most significant changes in three key areas of adult education: health, citizenship, and digital technologies. It argues that adult education should not only equip people with the knowledge and skills necessary to navigate a crisis, but also play a proactive role in shaping the future of education and the world. It should critically analyse and challenge mainstream ideas and offer constructive alternatives to proposed solutions.
In M. Milana, P. Rasmussen and M. Bussi. (Eds). Research Handbook on Adult Education Policy, Edward Elgar Publishing. In print, 2024
In the last decade, many countries, particularly in the post-communist world, have developed hybr... more In the last decade, many countries, particularly in the post-communist world, have developed hybrid political regimes characterized by democratic structures and authoritarian practices. This contribution examines the case of Serbia and argues that the tension between demonstrating the existence of democratic processes for geopolitical reasons and implementing fake participation in decision-making processes without real influence has led to a discrepancy between adult education policy and reality. The paper presents a conceptual analysis of international and European policy transfer and policy diffusion, including the mechanisms of soft power and their impact on national policy creation. The authors base their interpretation on an analysis of policy documents and interviews with representatives of three types of stakeholders (policy makers, researcher-experts, civil society and NGOs) who were involved in the adult education policy-making process.
Andragoška spoznanja / Studies in Adult Education and Learning, 2024
This paper explores the development and current state of andragogy as a scientific discipline in ... more This paper explores the development and current state of andragogy as a scientific discipline in Serbia, with a particular focus on its professionalisation at the University of Belgrade. Despite periods of crisis and societal transitions, andragogy has demonstrated remarkable resilience, remaining relevant and influential in the educational landscape. The current study program at the Department of Andragogy at the University of Belgrade is depicted at the undergraduate, master's, and doctoral levels. By analysing master's and doctoral theses, and published scientific papers, the paper provides insights into the prevalent issues and topics in the field. The findings underscore the impact and relevance of andragogy in Serbia and suggest its future prospects. Upholding its core principles and holistic approach, andragogy can play a pivotal role in bridging the gap between the past and the present, leading to the revitalisation of adult education and shaping the trajectory of the discipline itself in Serbia and beyond.
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Books by Katarina Popovic
Background research paper supporting the thematic chapter of GRALE 5, 2020 (CONFINTEA VII)
ISBN 978-86-82022-04-6
framework for the training of adult educators worldwide.
By providing a modular, competency-based framework and
cross-curricular approach, Curriculum globALE is unique in its
aim to professionalize adult learning and education (ALE) on
an international scale, via the competencies that support adult
educators to work in any educational setting, field or form.
It strives to ensure that educators’ knowledge, competencies,
skills and attitudes are of a professional standard.
Curriculum globALE is suitable to different contexts and its
character and structure enables its inclusion in diverse national
education systems.
ISBN 978-92-820-1240-6
(The book deals with challenges of measuring and monitoring literacy, examining approaches, concepts, and measurement methods at the national, regional, and global levels.)
Contemporary adult education policy development and lifelong learning practice are experiencing an autonomy loss imposed by the dominant neoliberal economic paradigm. As a consequence, in many countries, especially those that depend economically from supranational organizations and donors, the critical approach and its adjunct idea of emancipation have been sacrificed in favour of ambiguous developmental goals like employability, flexibility and adaptability. On the other hand, in many countries, adult education as a social movement is deeply rooted in the conviction that learning is an essential process related to personal transformation and social change. The result of this conflict between the external pressure for policies in favour of the labour market and the internal assumption about the value of emancipation has led to interesting insights that have produced policies and practices that attempt to reconcile these two forces of development. In this volume, we offer a consideration of the above paradoxical situation, and the critical view of adult education policy and practice in the region of Southeastern Europe. Some chapters in this volume present also positive lifelong learning practices, policy development analyses and conceptual understandings that highlight the efforts to develop adult education within a framework of the dominant neoliberal forces that shape European and international adult education policy.
(ESREA -European Society for Research on the Education of Adults Adult Education Society)
The International Council for Adult Education (ICAE) continues to inspire dialog, exchange of ideas and critical reflection on highly relevant
topics in adult education. Through this virtual seminar ICAE, in cooperation with DVV international, therefore wants to promote a debate and dialogue on selected articles from DVV International’s journal Adult Education and Development.
This offers the chance to discuss the topics raised in the print issue in a virtual seminar and to go deeper and broaden the analysis. It creates
a virtual space as an opportunity to share experiences from different regions and contexts, and to inspire new initiatives.
This years´ virtual seminar focuses on skills and competencies. Promoting a holistic approach to adult education, which includes all areas of life and work, ICAE wants to support the discussion about skills for life, work, and citizenship, and foster an integral perspective, which would help avoiding silos way of thinking in adult education.
Such an approach could also contribute to the recognition that education is essential for the success of all sustainable development goals.
In her latest book, Katarina Popović, Professor of Andragogy at the University of Belgrade, former Vice President of the European Association for Education of Adults, and Secretary General of the International Council for Adult Education, gives herself an colossal, and very timely task of analysing the historical developments and contemporary trends in global adult education policy, and their implications for the regional and local contexts, and the academic field of adult education research alike. She completes this task with much gusto. With her feet planted both in academia and policy circles, Popović has a unique vantage point from which to analyse the changing world of adult education, and she is using it to her best advantage, painting the global policy landscape in great detail, and with great verve. This results in eight ingeniously titled chapters in which the author maps the contextual development of the concept through its various iterations.
The analysis takes major global policy actors (UNESCO, World Bank, OECD, EU, and the international third sector) as a point of departure, competently weaving together detailed explanations of the actors’ preferred styles of governance – including policy creation, diffusion, homogenisation, monitoring, and support – in the individual, national, and global struggle to secure the knowledge in the fight against postmodern uncertainty (pp. 30-34). Importantly, the author reflects in particular on the historical positioning, influence, and the power play between these actors, and its effect in creating connections and antagonisms between different concepts launched throughout the past six decades or so: adult education, continuous education, recurrent education, lifelong education, and its contemporary iteration in lifelong learning, and in thus transforming the field of (adult) education and reshaping the ways of the learning self.
Distinguished from its conceptual predecessors the current, seemingly minor alteration with the focus on learning, creates, in one of the book’s main arguments, a new vehicle for the neo-liberal development agenda, in which knowledge is highly functional, montesiable, and most importantly, the responsibility of the individual with the notion of the greater (economic) good for themselves and the society, as the chief motivator of (primarily) individual development. Such changes, the author argues, have led to the post-structuralist, seemingly post-institutionalist (at least in the way of execution) approach to education, with the sites of learning becoming diffused, and the learning activity self-directed and self regulated (p. 122). Alongside this argument, Popović also reflects on the effects of the diffusion of sites of learning, and responsabilitisation of the individual, on the science of adult education, potentially rendering it redundant altogether. In this way, the book never veers from one of its proclaimed aims, which is considering the implication of the concept development not just for the global learning community, but for the educational paradigm and the adult education discipline as well.
The rich contextual, historical, and institutional analysis enables the author to provide strong support to her reservations towards the adult education discourse change; she certainly is not lonely in providing a critical view of these trends, but the way in which she does it is thorough, innovative, and pertinent. One of its greatest contributions lies in a nuanced approach to adult education policy development through a prism of intersecting analyses of the adult education research conceptualisation and methodology (with a strong focus on the distinction, or indeed lack thereof, between policy and politics) and the ongoing changes in education policymaking that come as a result of a post-structural diffusion of power and governance between the state, the private sector, and the supranational entities. Another is in the author’s inter-national positioning, which enables her to dissect the topic using multiple linguistic, cultural, and academic tools. This results in a comprehensive and well-balanced overview of the topic’s treatment from diverse cultural and academic – including, without wanting to sound atomistic, non-Western – perspectives.
From re-building the world post-WWI to looking beyond the Millennium Development Goals, from UNESCO’s ‘softer’ and more inclusive approach, reflected in the early postulate of ‘education in the service of peace and humanity’ (p. 38), to the rising influence of the World Bank and its effect on the neoliberalisation of educational discourse, we are given a somewhat discomforting portrayal, as if in a room of distorting mirrors, of what it means to be a learner, to learn, what knowledge is, and what its purpose is supposed to be; we are shown how this is influenced by the economic and geo-political trends and decided on a global scale, but on a very uneven playing field, with different rules for different players.
Beyond criticism of the WB’s neoliberal, unidirectional, and almost neo-colonial (as the author notes on p. 253) ways, which is truthfully not entirely unusual in educational research, particular attention seems to be given to the elite club that is OECD and its enthusiasm for comparisons and rankings, its technocratic approach instrumentalising education into a way of providing the individual with a set of tools and competencies, and producing very specific – and potentially most widely internalised (hence the concern) governance mechanisms that measure, but at the same time (re)create the goals of education. Of PISA, applicable to its adult education counterpart PIAAC discussed later in the text, the author says: ‘PISA diagnoses, but it also creates, it studies, but it also carries with it a cultural dictum; in this way, it confidently redefines basic concepts – of how we see learners, learning, knowledge, curriculum... With very concrete consequences, for example in curriculum restructuring’ (p. 134). This is an observation that could easily be extended to any and all of the players described in this book, but relevant to OECD due to its rising influence (see, e.g. pp. 140-1 for the comparison of the extent of participation and influence of OECD-produced PIACC with that of UNESCO-produced GRALE, and UNESCO’s recent acceptance of some of the efficacy and efficiency narratives and advocacy of a stronger cooperation with OECD and the WB).
In the meantime, EU, with its overt focus on unity, cooperation, and stability, is seen to have embraced what the author recognises as a neoliberal form of the concept of lifelong learning, possibly due to the fears surrounding Europe’s competitiveness alongside the US and the Asian tiger economies. Although Popović is not neglecting the more humanist discourse constructed in the, for example, Lisbon strategy, she wryly asks whether ‘this new, upgraded, upskilled, trained, and reskilled [Homo Economicus] would also manage to be innovative, proactive, creative, and critical [...]’ (p. 176).
In the final chapters, Popović turns to INGOs in all their diversity and lobbying power, noting in particular their power of creating a forum for other, supra- and inter-governmental actors to meet with the bottom-up demands, contributing thus to the ‘democratisation of global governance’ (p. 228), offering a diversification of approaches to the question of adult education, and some alternatives (including feminist, poscolonial, environmental) to the dominant discourses constructed by the actors discussed earlier in the text.
A prospective reader would be incorrect in assuming that the volume before them is a cynical, defeatist cry of the academic left. In her concluding remarks, Popović very soberly, and quite pragmatically, asks about the purpose and the future of adult education, both as a concept and as a discipline, in the world portrayed in the previous 300-strong pages. Reflecting on the current economic, environmental, security and geopolitical crises faced by us all, she invites a more constructive grappling with challenging issues, a more productive dialogue, and a more proactive, engaged attitude from the academic community, in a plea not to let the beautifully coined ‘unbearable lightness of indifference’ (p. 306) leave the future of adult education in the hands of others.
In spite of its sardonic veneer, this review of contemporary policy developments does not leave behind a barren wasteland depiction of the adult education’s multifarious potential – on the contrary, at its best, it gives both the scholars and the bureaucrats sharp tools to continue carving it out. Thorough in its background research and confident in handling the different iterations of the concept, but relentless in its cool assessment of the current trading in the term and its many uses and users, this book is a necessary read both for those wading through the murky waters of adult education, and those only beginning to dip their toes. Perhaps the best way to describe the author’s cautious, yet hopeful attitude is in its nurturing, what a young andragogy student recently described as healthy pessimism. In these days of seeking easy fixes and quick solutions to deep-rooted problems of inequality, insecurity, and power imbalance, or indeed, resorting to giving them an ivory tower treatment, everyone who is a part of the adult education discourse – and we all are – could do with a healthy dose of it.
This publication/Guide came about based on and after the im- plementation of the FBEAR experiment and, in addition to experiences acquired, it summarises long-standing scientific knowledge in the area of adult education, in the following sections:
Section 1 – Current situation in the area of (basic) adult edu- cation. Brief overview of current conditions in the area of basic adult education is provided in this section in parallel with the conditions prevailing in this area in the beginning of transition, from 2001 to date.
Section 2 – FBEA: programme and instruments. In this sec- tion, summarised knowledge and instruments for functionalisation of basic adult education are laid out. They are the result of a long-term scientific and professional work of the highest educational institutions in Serbia. After a brief overview of advantages of the new vs. the old model of adult education, it provides the explanation of OOO key for functionalisation, interpretation of the term, its purpose, principle and goals and description of instruments necessary for development and implementation of the FBEA programme – from methodology of cur- riculum development through organisation of learning, adult educa- tion and training curriculum to methods for certification of trainings. Generally speaking, this section can be understood as the description for preparation of conditions, concepts and instruments for applica- tion of the FBEA model.
Section 3 – FBEA(R) as active measure: example of good practice. The subject of this section is the description of the FBEAR ex- periment implementation process – from the creation of operational plan and concept through setting up of legal and institutional frame- works for its implementation, course of implementation and conver- sion of experiment into a particular active measure. It also provides the explanation of the strategy and outreach of active measure, role of social partnership (vertical and horizontal), sketch of organisational structure, management of experiment and process monitoring. In the end, this section lays out achieved results and their direct and indi- rect beneficiaries. This section is the source of acquired experiences, lessons learned and inspiration for planning the projects and actions aimed at future education of adults (particularly Roma).
Section 4 – Sustainability and replicability. This section pro- vides an overview of the factors of the FBEA model sustainability, pos-
sibilities of its universal application and challenges i.e. possibilities to institutionalise this programme.
Section 5 – recommendations and conclusion. This section lays out key considerations and main recommendations for institu- tionalisation of functional basic education of adults.
as part of the “CONFINTEA VI - follow up” project
Coordination: Adult Education Society, Belgrade
Development and State of the Art of Adult Learning and Education in South East Europe (2008)
This paper describes some experiences in functional basic adult education in Serbia from 2000 to the present, along with background information on adult education, including some statistical data, and a look at selected policy and strategic measures, and overview of the Eu supported project "Second Chance" for functional basic education of adults in Serbia
Serbia - Development and State of the Art of Adult Learning and Education,
Papers by Katarina Popovic
Background research paper supporting the thematic chapter of GRALE 5, 2020 (CONFINTEA VII)
ISBN 978-86-82022-04-6
framework for the training of adult educators worldwide.
By providing a modular, competency-based framework and
cross-curricular approach, Curriculum globALE is unique in its
aim to professionalize adult learning and education (ALE) on
an international scale, via the competencies that support adult
educators to work in any educational setting, field or form.
It strives to ensure that educators’ knowledge, competencies,
skills and attitudes are of a professional standard.
Curriculum globALE is suitable to different contexts and its
character and structure enables its inclusion in diverse national
education systems.
ISBN 978-92-820-1240-6
(The book deals with challenges of measuring and monitoring literacy, examining approaches, concepts, and measurement methods at the national, regional, and global levels.)
Contemporary adult education policy development and lifelong learning practice are experiencing an autonomy loss imposed by the dominant neoliberal economic paradigm. As a consequence, in many countries, especially those that depend economically from supranational organizations and donors, the critical approach and its adjunct idea of emancipation have been sacrificed in favour of ambiguous developmental goals like employability, flexibility and adaptability. On the other hand, in many countries, adult education as a social movement is deeply rooted in the conviction that learning is an essential process related to personal transformation and social change. The result of this conflict between the external pressure for policies in favour of the labour market and the internal assumption about the value of emancipation has led to interesting insights that have produced policies and practices that attempt to reconcile these two forces of development. In this volume, we offer a consideration of the above paradoxical situation, and the critical view of adult education policy and practice in the region of Southeastern Europe. Some chapters in this volume present also positive lifelong learning practices, policy development analyses and conceptual understandings that highlight the efforts to develop adult education within a framework of the dominant neoliberal forces that shape European and international adult education policy.
(ESREA -European Society for Research on the Education of Adults Adult Education Society)
The International Council for Adult Education (ICAE) continues to inspire dialog, exchange of ideas and critical reflection on highly relevant
topics in adult education. Through this virtual seminar ICAE, in cooperation with DVV international, therefore wants to promote a debate and dialogue on selected articles from DVV International’s journal Adult Education and Development.
This offers the chance to discuss the topics raised in the print issue in a virtual seminar and to go deeper and broaden the analysis. It creates
a virtual space as an opportunity to share experiences from different regions and contexts, and to inspire new initiatives.
This years´ virtual seminar focuses on skills and competencies. Promoting a holistic approach to adult education, which includes all areas of life and work, ICAE wants to support the discussion about skills for life, work, and citizenship, and foster an integral perspective, which would help avoiding silos way of thinking in adult education.
Such an approach could also contribute to the recognition that education is essential for the success of all sustainable development goals.
In her latest book, Katarina Popović, Professor of Andragogy at the University of Belgrade, former Vice President of the European Association for Education of Adults, and Secretary General of the International Council for Adult Education, gives herself an colossal, and very timely task of analysing the historical developments and contemporary trends in global adult education policy, and their implications for the regional and local contexts, and the academic field of adult education research alike. She completes this task with much gusto. With her feet planted both in academia and policy circles, Popović has a unique vantage point from which to analyse the changing world of adult education, and she is using it to her best advantage, painting the global policy landscape in great detail, and with great verve. This results in eight ingeniously titled chapters in which the author maps the contextual development of the concept through its various iterations.
The analysis takes major global policy actors (UNESCO, World Bank, OECD, EU, and the international third sector) as a point of departure, competently weaving together detailed explanations of the actors’ preferred styles of governance – including policy creation, diffusion, homogenisation, monitoring, and support – in the individual, national, and global struggle to secure the knowledge in the fight against postmodern uncertainty (pp. 30-34). Importantly, the author reflects in particular on the historical positioning, influence, and the power play between these actors, and its effect in creating connections and antagonisms between different concepts launched throughout the past six decades or so: adult education, continuous education, recurrent education, lifelong education, and its contemporary iteration in lifelong learning, and in thus transforming the field of (adult) education and reshaping the ways of the learning self.
Distinguished from its conceptual predecessors the current, seemingly minor alteration with the focus on learning, creates, in one of the book’s main arguments, a new vehicle for the neo-liberal development agenda, in which knowledge is highly functional, montesiable, and most importantly, the responsibility of the individual with the notion of the greater (economic) good for themselves and the society, as the chief motivator of (primarily) individual development. Such changes, the author argues, have led to the post-structuralist, seemingly post-institutionalist (at least in the way of execution) approach to education, with the sites of learning becoming diffused, and the learning activity self-directed and self regulated (p. 122). Alongside this argument, Popović also reflects on the effects of the diffusion of sites of learning, and responsabilitisation of the individual, on the science of adult education, potentially rendering it redundant altogether. In this way, the book never veers from one of its proclaimed aims, which is considering the implication of the concept development not just for the global learning community, but for the educational paradigm and the adult education discipline as well.
The rich contextual, historical, and institutional analysis enables the author to provide strong support to her reservations towards the adult education discourse change; she certainly is not lonely in providing a critical view of these trends, but the way in which she does it is thorough, innovative, and pertinent. One of its greatest contributions lies in a nuanced approach to adult education policy development through a prism of intersecting analyses of the adult education research conceptualisation and methodology (with a strong focus on the distinction, or indeed lack thereof, between policy and politics) and the ongoing changes in education policymaking that come as a result of a post-structural diffusion of power and governance between the state, the private sector, and the supranational entities. Another is in the author’s inter-national positioning, which enables her to dissect the topic using multiple linguistic, cultural, and academic tools. This results in a comprehensive and well-balanced overview of the topic’s treatment from diverse cultural and academic – including, without wanting to sound atomistic, non-Western – perspectives.
From re-building the world post-WWI to looking beyond the Millennium Development Goals, from UNESCO’s ‘softer’ and more inclusive approach, reflected in the early postulate of ‘education in the service of peace and humanity’ (p. 38), to the rising influence of the World Bank and its effect on the neoliberalisation of educational discourse, we are given a somewhat discomforting portrayal, as if in a room of distorting mirrors, of what it means to be a learner, to learn, what knowledge is, and what its purpose is supposed to be; we are shown how this is influenced by the economic and geo-political trends and decided on a global scale, but on a very uneven playing field, with different rules for different players.
Beyond criticism of the WB’s neoliberal, unidirectional, and almost neo-colonial (as the author notes on p. 253) ways, which is truthfully not entirely unusual in educational research, particular attention seems to be given to the elite club that is OECD and its enthusiasm for comparisons and rankings, its technocratic approach instrumentalising education into a way of providing the individual with a set of tools and competencies, and producing very specific – and potentially most widely internalised (hence the concern) governance mechanisms that measure, but at the same time (re)create the goals of education. Of PISA, applicable to its adult education counterpart PIAAC discussed later in the text, the author says: ‘PISA diagnoses, but it also creates, it studies, but it also carries with it a cultural dictum; in this way, it confidently redefines basic concepts – of how we see learners, learning, knowledge, curriculum... With very concrete consequences, for example in curriculum restructuring’ (p. 134). This is an observation that could easily be extended to any and all of the players described in this book, but relevant to OECD due to its rising influence (see, e.g. pp. 140-1 for the comparison of the extent of participation and influence of OECD-produced PIACC with that of UNESCO-produced GRALE, and UNESCO’s recent acceptance of some of the efficacy and efficiency narratives and advocacy of a stronger cooperation with OECD and the WB).
In the meantime, EU, with its overt focus on unity, cooperation, and stability, is seen to have embraced what the author recognises as a neoliberal form of the concept of lifelong learning, possibly due to the fears surrounding Europe’s competitiveness alongside the US and the Asian tiger economies. Although Popović is not neglecting the more humanist discourse constructed in the, for example, Lisbon strategy, she wryly asks whether ‘this new, upgraded, upskilled, trained, and reskilled [Homo Economicus] would also manage to be innovative, proactive, creative, and critical [...]’ (p. 176).
In the final chapters, Popović turns to INGOs in all their diversity and lobbying power, noting in particular their power of creating a forum for other, supra- and inter-governmental actors to meet with the bottom-up demands, contributing thus to the ‘democratisation of global governance’ (p. 228), offering a diversification of approaches to the question of adult education, and some alternatives (including feminist, poscolonial, environmental) to the dominant discourses constructed by the actors discussed earlier in the text.
A prospective reader would be incorrect in assuming that the volume before them is a cynical, defeatist cry of the academic left. In her concluding remarks, Popović very soberly, and quite pragmatically, asks about the purpose and the future of adult education, both as a concept and as a discipline, in the world portrayed in the previous 300-strong pages. Reflecting on the current economic, environmental, security and geopolitical crises faced by us all, she invites a more constructive grappling with challenging issues, a more productive dialogue, and a more proactive, engaged attitude from the academic community, in a plea not to let the beautifully coined ‘unbearable lightness of indifference’ (p. 306) leave the future of adult education in the hands of others.
In spite of its sardonic veneer, this review of contemporary policy developments does not leave behind a barren wasteland depiction of the adult education’s multifarious potential – on the contrary, at its best, it gives both the scholars and the bureaucrats sharp tools to continue carving it out. Thorough in its background research and confident in handling the different iterations of the concept, but relentless in its cool assessment of the current trading in the term and its many uses and users, this book is a necessary read both for those wading through the murky waters of adult education, and those only beginning to dip their toes. Perhaps the best way to describe the author’s cautious, yet hopeful attitude is in its nurturing, what a young andragogy student recently described as healthy pessimism. In these days of seeking easy fixes and quick solutions to deep-rooted problems of inequality, insecurity, and power imbalance, or indeed, resorting to giving them an ivory tower treatment, everyone who is a part of the adult education discourse – and we all are – could do with a healthy dose of it.
This publication/Guide came about based on and after the im- plementation of the FBEAR experiment and, in addition to experiences acquired, it summarises long-standing scientific knowledge in the area of adult education, in the following sections:
Section 1 – Current situation in the area of (basic) adult edu- cation. Brief overview of current conditions in the area of basic adult education is provided in this section in parallel with the conditions prevailing in this area in the beginning of transition, from 2001 to date.
Section 2 – FBEA: programme and instruments. In this sec- tion, summarised knowledge and instruments for functionalisation of basic adult education are laid out. They are the result of a long-term scientific and professional work of the highest educational institutions in Serbia. After a brief overview of advantages of the new vs. the old model of adult education, it provides the explanation of OOO key for functionalisation, interpretation of the term, its purpose, principle and goals and description of instruments necessary for development and implementation of the FBEA programme – from methodology of cur- riculum development through organisation of learning, adult educa- tion and training curriculum to methods for certification of trainings. Generally speaking, this section can be understood as the description for preparation of conditions, concepts and instruments for applica- tion of the FBEA model.
Section 3 – FBEA(R) as active measure: example of good practice. The subject of this section is the description of the FBEAR ex- periment implementation process – from the creation of operational plan and concept through setting up of legal and institutional frame- works for its implementation, course of implementation and conver- sion of experiment into a particular active measure. It also provides the explanation of the strategy and outreach of active measure, role of social partnership (vertical and horizontal), sketch of organisational structure, management of experiment and process monitoring. In the end, this section lays out achieved results and their direct and indi- rect beneficiaries. This section is the source of acquired experiences, lessons learned and inspiration for planning the projects and actions aimed at future education of adults (particularly Roma).
Section 4 – Sustainability and replicability. This section pro- vides an overview of the factors of the FBEA model sustainability, pos-
sibilities of its universal application and challenges i.e. possibilities to institutionalise this programme.
Section 5 – recommendations and conclusion. This section lays out key considerations and main recommendations for institu- tionalisation of functional basic education of adults.
as part of the “CONFINTEA VI - follow up” project
Coordination: Adult Education Society, Belgrade
Development and State of the Art of Adult Learning and Education in South East Europe (2008)
This paper describes some experiences in functional basic adult education in Serbia from 2000 to the present, along with background information on adult education, including some statistical data, and a look at selected policy and strategic measures, and overview of the Eu supported project "Second Chance" for functional basic education of adults in Serbia
Serbia - Development and State of the Art of Adult Learning and Education,
The paper analyses the development of basic terms and concepts in adult
education (adult education, continuing, permanent and recurrent education, lifelong education, and lifelong learning) and the role of major international organizations in formulating and promoting these concepts. The focus of the analysis is on the reasons and consequences of the dominance of the modern, widely accepted concept of lifelong
learning, which replaced the previous ones and almost completely suppressed the concept of adult education. This paradigm shift and change of the discourse has its ideological and economic roots, and is supported by all global education policy makers. The paper indicates numerous negative consequences of this shift in all spheres in which adult education has a significant role, as well as the damage that (mis)use of the concept of lifelong learning as a generic term causes to science, profession, research, and adult education practice.
The Epilogue describes a short selection of what happened in the two decades to international and comparative adult education, including the work of various international institutions and organizations, activities in different continents (including the developments in the USA and notably initiatives in Germany), the work and main programmes and documents of transnational organizations, as well as recent trends.
New didactic realities, new pedagogical and andragogical practices, new learning environments, and above all – new possibility to help develop critical, open-minded, democratic citizens – all this requires educators to rethink their role, their concept and practices. The new practices of this kind of learning in Serbia are analysed from the point of view of three theoretical approaches – public pedagogy, critical theory and embodied learning.
The article analysis learning about democracy and citizenship in the new, alternative environments, that are created through civic activism ('occupying' unused spaces for cultural and learning activities, organizing peaceful protests against autocratic city planning and urbanism without participation of citizens, and similar actions.). This kind of learning is always a kind of community organized activity, whereby community is not understood in the traditional way, but as togetherness, as the collective action of citizens where people learn, through urban activism, about the values and mechanisms of democracy through practicing it. The new practices of this kind of learning in Serbia are analyzed from the point of view of three theoretical approaches – public pedagogy, critical theory and embodied learning.
SENSE Publisher
Exploration as to how these perspectives converge in civic interventions in urban areas of Belgrade will position togetherness at the core of the broader approach to wellbeing and to learning. The paper presents several examples of civic activities in the urban spaces, whose learning character is interpreted within the concept of public pedagogy. Examples presented are prevailing in the post-communist countries, because public spaces as the zone of the civic interventions can oppose the controlling authority, and through the fight for the human and civil rights represent the bottom line of togetherness and collective agency. Learning through the collective civic actions thus provides new ways to understand well-being.
Key words: well-being, lifelong learning, human rights, agency, collective action, public space.
European Journal of Education
This Open Access volume was published in 2019 by NISSEM. The brief by the OECD, ‘The OECD’s Study on Social and Emotional Skills’: © OECD
Financing Adult Learning and Education, qui est disponible en anglais sur la
page d‘accueil de DVV International et de ICAE.
Ova publikacija - vodič je nastala na osnovu i nakon implementacije ogleda FOOOR i u njemu su, pored stečenih iskustava, data i sažeta višegodišnja naučna saznanja iz oblasti obrazovanja odraslih - i to unutar sledećih odeljaka:
Odeljak 1. Aktuelno stanje u oblasti (osnovnog) obrazovanja odraslih. Kratak pregled aktuelnog stanja u sferi osnovnog obrazovanja odraslih je u ovom odeljku dat na osnovu paralele sa stanjem u ovoj oblasti s početka tranzicije - od 2001. naovamo.
Odeljak 2. FOOO: program i instrumenti. Sumirana saznanja i instrumenti za funkcionalizaciju osnovnog obrazovanje odraslih, nastali kao rezultat višegodišnjeg naučnog i stručnog rada na najvišim obrazovnim institucijama u Srbiji, izloženi su u ovom odeljku. Nakon kratkog pregleda prednosti novog naspram starog modela obrazovanja odraslih, dâto je objašnjenje ključa funkcionalizacije OOO, tumačenje samog pojma, svrhe, principa i ciljeva funkcionalizacije i opis instrumenata neophodnih za razvoj i implementaciju programa FOOO - od metodologije razvoja kurikuluma, preko organizacije učenja, nastavnog plana i programa osnovnog obrazovanja i obuka do postupka sertifikovanja obuka. U celini gledano, ovaj odeljak se može razumeti kao opis pripreme uslova, koncepata i instrumenata za primenu modela FOOO.
Odeljak 3. FOOO(R) kao aktivna mera: primer dobre prakse. Opis procesa implementacije ogleda FOOOR - od stvaranja operativnog plana i koncepta, preko uspostavljanja pravnih i institucionalnih okvira za njegovu implementaciju, toka implementacije i konvertovanje ogleda u svojevrsnu aktivnu meru - predmet je ovog odeljka. U njemu su još data objašnjenja strategije i dometa aktivne mere, uloge socijalnog partnerstva (vertikalno i horizontalno), zatim skica organizacione strukture, upravljanja ogledom i monitoring progresa. Na kraju odeljka su izloženi ostvareni rezultati i njihovi direktni i indirektni korisnici. Ovaj odeljak predstavlja izvor stečenih iskustava, naučenih lekcija i inspiracije za planiranje projekata i akcija usmerenih na dalje obrazovanje odraslih (posebno Roma).
Odeljak 4. Održivost i replikabilnost. U ovom odeljku je dat pregled faktora održivosti modela FOOO, mogućnosti njegove univerzalne primene i izazovi, odnosno mogućnosti institucionalizacije ovog programa.
Odeljak 5. Preporuke i zaključak. U ovom odeljku su data zaključna razmatranja i osnovne preporuke za institucionalizaciju funkcionalnog osnovnog obrazovanja odraslih.
Curriculum globALE (CG) ist ein interkulturelles Kerncurriculum für das Lehren und Lernen von Erwachsenen weltweit. Es wurde gemeinsam vom Deutschen Institut für Erwachsenenbildung (DIE) sowie vom Institut für Internationale Zusammenarbeit des Deutschen Volkshochschul-Verbandes (DVV International) entwickelt. In fünf Modulen beschreibt es die relevanten Kompetenzen für erfolgreiche Kursleitungen und gibt Hinweise zur praktischen Umsetzung.
Ziele des Curriculum globALE:
- Förderung der Professionalisierung der in verschiedenen Kontexten arbeitenden Erwachsenenbildnern durch die Bereitstellung eines gemeinsamen Kompetenzstandards
- Unterstützung von Träger und Organisationen der Erwachsenenbildung bei der Gestaltung und Durchführung von Train-the-Trainer Programmen
- Stärkung des länder- und regionenübergreifenden Austauschs und der gegenseitigen Verständigung unter Erwachsenenbildnern
Kao i u mnogim zemljama, tri dramatične godine su obeležene COVID-om, što je imalo značajnog uticaja na participaciju, naročito u domenu rada, tj. za radno-aktivno stanovništvo. Smanjenje participacije tokom 2020. godine se objašnjava prelaskom na metode on line učenja i potrebom za sticanjem novih veština, te je to bila i neka vrsta adaptacije na novonastalu situaciju, ali u 2021. to služi kao temelj za porast procenta učešća.
Das Alt-Werden ist auch in Serbien ein Prozess mit vielen positiven Seiten, aber auch ein Prozess mit vielen Herausforderungen und Risiken, die sich in verschiedenen Alltagssituationen manifestieren. Das ist ein Phänomen, das nicht nur auf den individuellen Habitus begrenzt ist, sondern sich auch zwischen Individuum und Gesellschaft abspielt - mehr Aufmerksamkeit darauf zu lenken scheint eine wichtige Aufgabe bei diesen zahlreichen Projekten und Initiativen zu sein.
Das Hauptziel des Projektes "Die Goldene Zeit des Lebens" war, gegen Diskriminierung älterer Menschen zu wirken, Stereotypen abzubauen und zu einer inklusiven Gesellschaft in Serbien beizutragen. Das Projekt wurde vom Juli 2011 bis Juni 2012 in fünf Städten Serbiens implementiert: Novi Sad, Uzice, Leskovac, Bor und Belgrad. Der internationale Partner am Projekt ist DVV international aus Deutschland gewesen. Es konnten vier weitere lokale Partner in vier Städten für Partnerschaft gewonnen werden: EDIT centar aus Novi Sad, Keramika Zlakusa aus Uzice, Leskovacki kulturni centar aus Leskovac, Drustvo mladih istraživača aus Bor. Die Finanzierung leistete die Europäische Union im Rahmen des Programms Support to Civil Society.
governance in many countries around the world, with emergency measures taken to combat the spread of the virus often used as a pretext for authoritarian leaders to consolidate power and undermine democratic institutions. As a result, some governments have suspended constitutional rights, restricted freedom of expression and assembly, and cracked down on dissenting voices, exploiting the pandemic to limit democratic participation and engagement. The closure of public spaces, limitations on freedom of speech, and the suspension of elections have also contributed significantly to the erosion of democratic values during the COVID-19 pandemic.