Suwithida Charungkaittikul
Faculty of Education, Chulalongkorn University
Amid a changing society and continued development in the 21st century, many countries have identified strategies to deal with the potential changes. Lifelong learning has become one of the overarching values and principles behind many education system reforms. Thailand has been actively using the concept of lifelong learning to help communities, cities and regions move toward becoming lifelong learning societies engaged in a sustainable development strategy that promotes the unending learning of individuals – the smallest unit of society. These activities have aimed to develop appropriate manpower to move society toward sustainable happiness.
This article presents the results of an in-depth research study using the Ethnographic Delphi Futures Research (EDFR) technique to propose a feasible learning society model. This proposed learning society model includes five essential elements: components, principles, developmental processes, strategies and key success factors that can enhance sustainable lifelong learning development. It is anticipated that the findings may help raise local and global citizen awareness with respect to transforming educational institutions, communities, cities and regions into learning societies; foster lifelong learning for all in a more sustainable way at the practical level; guide enhanced quality of national education and learning; benefit interested individuals; and serve as a basis for conducting further research on the subject.
(Presented in the 2018 Chulalongkorn Asian Heritage Forum : Culture of Longevity, 15-16 August 2018, Mandarin Oriental Hotel, Bangkok, organized by Institute of Thai Studies, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Population Studies, Chulalongkorn University)