Informal learning: A vital component of lifelong learning

Abstract

The burgeoning interest in lifelong learning since the 1990s has been influenced strongly by the scope and significance of the 1970s debates about lifelong education and other related but different concepts, such as ‘recurrent education’ and ‘education permanente’. This diversity of concepts ensured that the 1970s debates were marked by significant ambiguities and conflicting interpretations (Hager and Halliday 2006, pp. 16-19).