Women must have access to adult and third-level education so that they and their families can advance socially and economically, the Minister of State at the Department of Education told a conference in UCD yesterday.
At the opening of the conference, "Diversity in Higher Education - the challenge to practitioners and students", Ms Síle de Valera said the era of lifelong learning had "well and truly arrived".
"The knowledge economy and society is affecting the lives and well-being of all our people," she said. "The opportunities presented by the knowledge society are huge and the path to success goes through education."
Investment in adult literacy and community investment here would reach its highest level of €29.8 million in 2004, she said, with more than 31,000 adults receiving literacy tuition.
The Minister noted that Ireland still fell behind other European countries in the numbers of adults who engage in continuing learning.
"There are major challenges to be faced in increasing investment in adult learning, in widening access, addressing financial barriers, in building support services and promoting responsive models of provision," she said.
"This conference will make a great contribution to the ongoing debate on adult education and, in particular, women's access to third-level education at community level."
The conference was jointly hosted by the Department of Education and the UCD Women's Education, Research and Resource Centre.