THE Jamaica Foundation for Lifelong Learning (JFLL), formerly the Jamaica Movement for the Advancement of Literacy (JAMAL), was officially launched Wednesday at the institution’s offices on South Camp Road in Kingston.

Speaking at a sign- unveiling ceremony and panel discussion to mark the official launch, Minister of Education and Youth Maxine Henry-Wilson said the institution of JFLL was in keeping with the idea that learning could take place at any age.

She noted that today’s global society demanded that citizens be empowered with the necessary skills and knowledge, to make a valuable contribution to the social development of their country.

“Lifelong learning is an indispensable part of our social development. We are now living in a global society, which requires that all institutions of learning are sustainable and so JAMAL has had to be morphed into another stage in terms of its relevance and development of our human resource,” she said.

President of the Jamaica Council for Adult Education, Kay Anderson, noted that people, who have the opportunity to continually learn and develop their skills and capacities, were better able to contribute to the island’s sustainable development and would also encourage their children to develop a passion for learning.

She noted also that people, who participate in lifelong learning, could develop a passion and respect for issues, such as the protection of the environment.

“Adult education is important because people, who have the opportunity to continually learn, respect and protect the environment. We are seeing the results of the neglect and of the wanton misbehaviour that we are doing to our environment and we need to use the whole notion of lifelong learning to help people to see how they can make an impact,” she noted.

Anderson further urged Jamaicans to take advantage of the services offered by JFLL, which was incorporated in October 2006, with the mandate to train an educated knowledge-based population, which is empowered through lifelong learning, with the opportunities to take responsibility for their lives and contribute positively to the social, moral and economic development of the country.

Among the courses offered at the institution are high school equivalency programmes, basic literacy and training in computer literacy.