Contemporary Perspectives of International Organisations on the Concept of Lifelong Learning - A Comparison of UNESCO and OECD

This diploma thesis presents the concept of lifelong learning as an ambitious political project born in the field of international organisations at the beginning of the 1970s which now reaches far beyond the borders of national states and education policy. The sphere of education still remains the responsibility of national governments, however, even here strong globalising tendencies have occurred since the 1990s, as a result of which the national policy is more and more being influenced by supranational institutions. Although the concept of lifelong learning now serves as a common framework, it has been interpreted differently during its evolution and a consensus on what it exactly means and how it should be put into practice still does not exist. Based on analysis of key documents, this thesis aims to compare the view of lifelong learning held by the international organisation UNESCO with that of OECD, as two distinctive perspectives on this issue. The comparison draws on Rubenson's model (2004), which examines lifelong learning through three key categories representing the main actors of social life - the state, the market and civil society. As this topic has not been widely explored in the Czech Republic, this thesis aims to present a complete overview, including a critical assessment of both..