You're never too old to learn

Most people who get to the grand age of 95 would decide to take things a bit easy and leave the challenges of academic study for younger folk. But not Allan Stewart. He's a 95 year-old retired dentist of Tea Gardens near Newcastle on the New South Wales coast in Australia.
He's already in the Guinness Book of Records for being the world's oldest person to graduate from a university degree. That was for his law degree back in 2006. Allan is now doing a Master of Clinical Sciences at Southern Cross University, focussing particularly on complementary medicine and the ageing process.
So - what are you waiting for!

Learning Through Life

This is the title of an excellent publication from NIACE which is the definitive report into the future for lifelong learning in the UK. It represents an independent Inquiry into the Future for Lifelong Learning and presents: • the first authoritative and coherent strategic framework for lifelong learning in the UK for the next 10 – 15 years; • an overview of the current state of learning in the UK; and • radical recommendations for long term change.
I was fascinated by, amongst other things, the classification of learners presented in their 4 stage model - up to 25, 25-50, 50-75, 75+. They make a very strong case for enhancing training and education opportunities for the 50-75 group and that much more needs to be offered to the 75+ group to ensure that they continue to be stimulated and develop not least of which is the huge contribution they make to caring and volunteering. Anyone involved in learning should read this report.