«LIFELONG LEARNING» PHILOSOPHY: MODERNIZATION OR TRANSFORMATION OF TRADITIONAL EDUCATION? (statement of the question)

Abstract

The article examines the features of the reform movement in the field of education and training, which took place in modern Western society as a result of changes associated with the transition from a post-industrial knowledge society. It is noted that, unlike the concept of the information society, which focuses primarily on the development of means of obtaining and processing information, the concept of society. The article emphasizes that the leading trend at the beginning of the 21st century is the awareness of the importance of the lifelong education paradigm for the development of human society, which causes radical changes in the field of education. Lifelong learning is becoming a priority for all levels of the education system, which, accordingly, should not only be aimed at forming certain general or professional knowledge at the secondary and higher education levels, but also provide for the continuous formation and development of the individual as such. The term «lifelong learning» is analyzed, which denotes one of the main directions of Western educational policy aimed at the acquisition of personal competencies by applicants, increasing competitiveness in the labor market, and providing support in solving problems related to professional and social life. A general review of the European Commission's recommendation documents on the formation of a new educational trajectory is carried out. The emphasis is placed on the fact that the method of implementing the recommendations of the European Commission in Ukrainian legislation should correspond to the degree of readiness of Ukrainian society for the specified reform changes at this stage of its social development and political realities. The author concludes that it is necessary to raise the question of the classification of reform changes in the field of education, namely - is there another wave of modernization or a radical transformation of the educational trajectory? It is noted that the search for an answer to this question actualizes the study of the history of the development of the very idea of lifelong learning, the origins of which go back to the antiquity of human civilization, and reach their apogee in the philosophy of pragmatism, the initial thesis of which is that the world is a constantly changing system, and the task of man is to adapt and survive in an environment that is constantly changing and becoming more complicated.