‘I Hope….’ By Susannah Chambers, February 2021

I hope… the policy makers listen…

To the voices of the sector,

To the voices of the professionals,

To the experts in their field,

To the ones who learners often rely on,

To find their voice in the world,

To find their own flavour of hope – whatever that means for them.

I hope… that judgement on quality of teaching and learning is made only by

Adult learners themselves,

To co-create meaning and assign value through dialogue with those that matter to them,

Loved ones, family, friends, tutors, teachers, employers,

Whoever’s opinion really matters – on their terms.

If we – for one delicious moment - suspend reality and take the artificiality of inspection regimes out of the picture.

I hope… that the unsung heroes of the sector,

In whatever form we choose to crusade for the right for people to experience the joy of Adult Education and Family Learning,

Whether paid, unpaid, visible or invisible,

Achieve the impact we so want to share with the world to enrich families’ lives.

That our efforts transcend the smoke and mirrors of some self-serving national alleged think-tanks paid handsomely through funding with minimal impact.

I hope the people that need to see this for the penny to drop are reading it right now