Danish philosopher Søren Kierkegaard advocated the “cognitive process” as the best method of educating and developing minds. He called for an approach that would be “lived, practiced, and actualised” rather than becoming an end product in itself. Education would become a cumulative, continuous process that transformed the “whole of an individual's life.” Learning would be life-long. Pedagogues, best described as professionals specialised in the developmental care of young children, are a prime example of how cognitive development can be initiated in the earliest years. Pedagogy is a career that is specific to Denmark, and requires a 4-year university degree and a specific curriculum that combines different behavioural sciences. While Danes usually brush off global surveys that rank them as the happiest people in the world, a visit to one of these centres sheds light on the lasting impact of early cognitive learning on individual development. Hylet has been the starting process of lifelong learning for generations of Danish children.
While UNESCO's themes of Right to education, Quality, Inclusion, Access and Equity focus on reform oriented measures and concrete goals, Lifelong Learning (LLL) has been adopted as a means of bringing together all the themes under one umbrella. LLL shapes education as an evolutionary process that should be honed, perfected and made universally accessible.
From early childhood to the elderly, lifelong learning strives to incorporate a larger picture of education as a means of self-actualisation. This includes affording further learning opportunities for those who are already in the workforce or to help bridge their career goals regardless of age or vocation.
