This document provides an overview of culture, minorities, equity and adult learning. It establishes an overview of minority groups and discusses the difficulties faced by two specific minority groups. It addresses issues such as direct and indirect discrimination, feminism in its first and second waves, gender equality and inequality, and addressing the needs of minorities in the United States and Malta. The document advocates for bottom-up, culturally responsible approaches to adult education that empower minority groups and recognize multiple languages and literacies.

1. Culture, Minorities,
Equity & Adult Learning
Masters in Adult Education
Annabel Desira & Rachel Schembri

3. Objectives
Establish an overview of minority groups.
 Create an awareness of the difficulties of
two specific minority groups.
 Discuss ... the next step ...


4. Minorities

Minorities are disadvantaged ethnic, national, religious,
linguistic or cultural groups who are smaller in number
than the rest of the population and who may wish to
maintain and develop their identity.

Everday someone is discriminated against due to:
age, race, gender, disability, religion & sexual orientation.
The Mosaic Diversity Project as part of the
European Year of Equal Opportunities for All, 2007

6. Direct Discrimination
 This occurs when a person is treated less favourably
than another simply because of a personal
characteristic.
Indirect Discrimination
 This occurs when a policy or requirement, which at first
glance seems fair, in fact operates to the detriment of a
particular group of people because of a characteristic of
that group, such as age, family circumstance or gender,
and the requirement is not reasonable or necessary in
the circumstances.
Hayes, A. (2006) Teaching Adults

7. Feminism

First wave of feminism (mid-1800s – beginning of 1900s)
- basic rights such as voting and education
- based on gaining recognition for women

Second wave (mid 1900s – present)
- citizens’ rights, independent obligations of the family
- gender equality
- contestation of social order and status quo
- redefining gender ideologies

“Despite considerable heterogeneity the women’s movement is best
understood as an attempt to introduce change from outside the
centres of political power … The main source of their authority …
resides in the attainment and transmission of new knowledge and
the fostering of a new social vision.”
Stromquist, N. (2004) The Educational Nature of Feminist Action

8. Gender equality or inequality …

Combating persisting gender inequalities in all spheres of
society is a longer-term challenge, since it entails structural
and behavioural changes and a redefinition of the roles of
women and men.

Progress is slow, and gender gaps persist as regards:
- employment rates
- pay
- working hours
- positions of responsibility
- share of care and household duties
- risk of poverty
Lofstrom, A. (2009) Gender Equality, Economic Growth and Employment

9. Addressing the Lisbon Strategy
Women in employment:
In 2007 1,712 women were placed in employment, 2880 women
trained, and talks delivered to girls in schools to further encourage
females to take up non-traditional occupations.

The Maltese Government launched various initiatives aimed to
attract more women to the labour market which include:
- the setting up of a part-time employment register
- paid maternity leave increased to 14 weeks
- training of child carers to improve the provision of child care
services
- tax benefits for parents for childcare
Malta’s National Reform Programme, 2008-2010:
Addressing the Lisbon Strategy. (2008)

10. Addressing the Lisbon Strategy
Gender inequality:
The Gender Unit (ETC) strives to improve the situation of
equality between men and women in employment by
encouraging clients to move away from gender bias
stereotypes, encouraging employers to make gender neutral
decisions at recruitment stages and simultaneously assisting
employers in establishing gender neutral and family-friendly
working environments.

Nista` - The Benefits of Sharing Life’s Responsibilities (ESF 59)
The main aim of this project is to encourage more women to
enter and remain in the labour market through a media
campaign that will span over three years (2009 – 2011).

11. Addressing the Lisbon Strategy
Lifelong learning:
Malta has registered marginal progress in lifelong learning. The
rate of adults engaged in lifelong learning increased from 4.5% in
2000 to 6% in 2007.

Government’s strategy:
- to promote the importance of private investment and private
consumption of education and training within mainstream adult
population
- assist and provide training and retraining opportunities in
priority areas in particular those related to the needs of the
unemployed
- provide a range of formal and informal training programmes on
a part-time basis after regular hours
- open schools after school hours to transform them into
community learning centres
- foster lifelong learning with a view to strengthening the
opportunities of those who may have fallen behind

13. “..investing in women is not only the right thing
to do. It is the smart thing to do. I am deeply
convinced that, in women, the world has at its
disposal, the most significant and yet largely
untapped potential for development and peace.”
Ban Ki Moon, UN Secretary General, 8 March 2008

15. Race

Searchin' hard / For a land of hope / Without prejudice / with our
telescope/ We’re together but we cannot care / For this race.
Together in Diversity: StudentFest 2009 UOM

“Race Matters” – Cornel West

“White people think that they can forget color: treat everyone the
same, and race will cease to be an issue. But for people of color it is
always the issue. We see everything in the world through the lens of
race.”
African American Student in Preskill’s Research

Is it just a question of perception?
- The story of Joshua Bell
- The People of Auschwitz Today vis a vis the Jews of Today
- The Story of Sharaud as narrated by Erin Gruwell
- European Football

16. United States

2006: only 16% of students in FE are non-white
Statistics cited in Teaching Adults by Amanda Hayes

Under the Race Relations Act 1976, as amended by the Race Relations
Amendment Act 2000, colleges have the following general duties:
- eliminate unlawful race discrimination
- promote equality of opportunity
- promote good relations between people from different racial groups

Colleges also have the following specific duties:
- prepare a written statement of the policy for promoting race equality
- make arrangements to implement the policy, publicise its contents and
results as well as monitoring its effectiveness
- assess the impact of its policies on learners and staff of different racial
groups
- monitor, by reference to racial groups, the admission and progress of
learners and the recruitment and career progress of staff.

18. Racism in Malta!?!

Current Situation
- NGO’s offering services and promoting the idea of
equality
- Articles / press releases – Jesuit Refugee Services
- Documents released by the Migration Policy Group
- EU Commission together with DG for Employment,
Social Affairs and Equal Opportunities release material
for guidance such as the European Commission manual:
Combating Discrimination: A training manual. (2006)

19. Research

Brookfield & Preskill (2005) suggest:
- Honoring and respecting difference
- Naming ourselves
- Circle of objects
- The encircled circle
- Affiliation groups
- Methodological belief & the 5 minute rule
- Outlet for anger & grief

The Adult Educator’s Role, Brookfield (2005):
- Monitoring discussion (particular attention to use of language)
- Perception check

The Adult Educator’s Role, Freire (2005):
- Teacher’s work must always be realised in a context
- Immediate world of action
- Sensitivity to the learners

20. Bridging Differences

Departure from the learner’s context then
emphasising the importance to learn the standard
language and the norms of the maybe “higher class”
so that s/he gains the fundamental tool for the fight
against injustice and discrimination targeted at
him/her.
Freire, P. (2005) Teachers as Cultural Workers.

21. Reflections ...
What should we ask ourselves as Educators:

What are my values as an adult educator?

Where do adult participants come from?

Does s/he belong to a minority group/s?

What are the participants’ needs?

What are the participant’s main objective for attending
the workshop/lesson?

What is the participant’s level of education?

How am I giving space for everyone in the group to have
a say on a level playing field?

22. Equity based Adult Learning







Bottom-up rather than top-down approaches which can
jeopardise an important aspect of adult learners’
empowerment.
Programme curriculum designed together with minority
groups to reflects their voices & aspirations
Culturally responsible approaches (community education
linked to political action & empowerment)
Rights-based approach to adult education
Literacy adult education programmes
Recognising and valuing multiple languages & literacies
Adult education programmes’  attempt to look outwards,
expand knowledge & skills, whilst simultaneously looking
inwards at the group’s identity & history.

23. Food For Thought
“We are now at a point where we must decide
whether we are to honour the concept of a
plural society which gains strength through
diversity, or whether we are to have bitter
fragmentation which will result in perpetual
tension and strife.”
Former US Supreme Court Chief of Justice - Earl Warren

24. References
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