고령화시대의 노인교육에 관한 연구 : 프랑스, 독일, 영국의 노년교육정책 및 교육프로그램을 중심으로

Aging is accelerating worldwide. In the dimensions of lifelong learning the education for the elderly is emerging as a very important issue. Providing educational opportunities for older people is the way enhancing the quality of life of the elderly as dimensions of social welfare rather than a simple aspect of learning. In other words, recently the education for the elderly would be one of the essential items as the welfare of the elderly. Meanwhile efforts to solve the ageing problem has not been sufficient in Korea. Therefore a negative attitude and the reluctance toward the elderly might not be overcome, raising the social anxiety. Currently, the level of knowledge, information and education of the elderly has been increasing and the range of the diversity also expanding. In Korea, however, not only political approaches to geriatric education are lacking but also the content or form of the elderly education is simple and monolithic, thereby causing limits to meet the needs of the elderly in current generation, as well as of the elderly of the future. Thus, the development of adequate policies to provide educational programs fitting to diversity and level of elderly is urgently required. The purpose of this study is to suggest the direction and implications of educational policies for the elderly tailored to the situation in Korea by examining educational practices in European countries such as France, Germany, and United Kingdom which have been promoting the national policies for the elderly.