Administration and management issues in voluntary adult education organisations in Malta : a case study : The Guze Ellul Mercer Foundation

Abstract

1996 was the European Year of Lifelong Education and it is therefore fitting to focus on educational initiatives that evolved outside the formal, statutory schooling system and which provide an indispensable, supplementary service during early, middle and late adulthood. In response to the rapid changes that are affecting the global community in general, and Maltese society in particular, adult education is acquiring a more important and acknowledged role in providing functional and computer literacy, opportunities for vocational re-orientation and skills updating, empowerment opportunities for women, people with special needs and marginalised groups. The settings for this multifarious provision are also getting more complex, ranging from small non-formal discussion groups to substantial community development projects or sophisticated distance leaning schemes. Adult education in Malta is provided by government bodies and by NGOs, both commercial and voluntary. All these agencies have a significant part to play in developing such an important and expanding sector of lifelong education in our islands. This essay is a case study of a voluntary adult education NGO, namely the Guze Ellul Mercer Foundation. First this study traces the diverse trends which historically characterised the evolvement of independent working-class adult education distinguished by its commitment to social transformation, both abroad and in our island state. It also analyses how other significant trends and influences - such as: a vision of education as a tool for self liberation and conscientisation; the recognition of adult education as an integral and prominent part of the lifelong lean1ing process; and the choice of a structure based on voluntary work and community development - combined together to provide the mission, goals and framework which constitute the Guze Ellul Mercer Foundation (GEM), an adult education organisation founded by the Maltese Labour Movement in 1984.