The MAS – Andragogical Conference was once again very well attended this year. It attracted around 300 participants from Croatia and abroad, primarily representatives of adult education institutions, who gathered in Mali Lošinj to learn about the latest developments in the system, get information on andragogical training, and on the development of evaluation and education programs.

The main topics of this large three-day event included modular teaching, education programs for obtaining comprehensive qualifications implemented within regular education, and significant changes related to the adult education system.

Key Institutional Representatives

At the ceremonial opening, speeches were given by Mile Živčić, Director of the Agency for Vocational Education and Training and Adult Education, and Ivana Pilko Čunčić, Head of the Sector for Secondary Education and Adult Education at the Ministry of Science, Education and Youth, who also delivered a plenary presentation.

Mario Vučić, Assistant Director for Adult Education Development at the Agency, spoke about the current state and developmental plans in the field of adult education.

Josip Ivoš, also from the Agency, presented possibilities for using additional educational materials in adult education.

Marija Vuletić from the Agency for Mobility and EU Programmes led a discussion on Erasmus+, the EU programme for supporting education, training, youth, and sport, in the context of adult education.

An overview of vocational curricula in adult education was provided by Heidi Cipriš Madunić and Irena Ištvanić, both from the Agency.

Two-Day “Guide to Modular Teaching” Workshops

Expert teams from the Agency held four workshops over two days on the topic “Guide to Modular Teaching,” each led by different groups of facilitators.

Informative “Cafés”

Many participants also enjoyed informative café sessions on current topics in adult education, led by Agency specialist teams. Topics included external evaluation of institutions and learning outcomes, andragogical training, development of education programmes, and development of evaluation programmes.

During the conference there was also an information stand presenting the Erasmus+ “EPALE” project — the electronic platform for adult education – and a meeting of the EPALE National Support Services was held.