Adult education <> Adult learning

I have just spent some time interrogating ChatGPT about the connections between adult education, teaching and learning. This inquiry builds on earlier work I undertook more than a decade ago by using NGRAM Viewer-where I looked at the changing use of terms like adult learning and adult education. My thought at the time was that the use of the term ‘education’ had often been detrimentally replaced by ‘learning’, even though ‘education’ was more applicable in many cases. In my cynical phase I wondered whether the change was subconsciously made to usurp the power of the statements made by the OECD in 1996 and then in a 2004 policy brief (which I can no longer find online)-a statement that talks about the wishes of individuals:

Some authors have later argued about this change of term use in other ways-but I take a slightly broader perspective. I seek to uncouple the position of education institutions (who tend to focus on financial performance, risk management and growth) and teachers (who focus on applying principles of education and learning in a classroom or online context) from the learning that adults undertake consciously or otherwise on a day-to-day basis (as discussed in some detail in my thesis).
A key problem with my interrogation process (see above) was that ChatGPT tended to favour “educators” or “educational stakeholders” whereas my concerns are that learning needs to be considered much more broadly. I am not discounting the value of educational institutions or experienced and well-trained teachers or trainers. Instead, I am recognising that the life and learning journeys of adults mostly occur outside of institutionalised learning. I am concerned that policy makers who see vehicles like the (2008) Bradley Report in Australia as a way to increase funding for institutionalised parts of the education and employment sectors are missing the point of adult learning. As an example, there are now less or lost opportunities for informal or non formal learning recognition (in Australia in this case) and more limited paths to Recognition of Prior Learning (in this example in Europe)-leading to higher costs, delays and restricted opportunities for the individual. I see recognition of the importance of self motivated and self determined learning as being a key aspect of meeting this OECD stated goal and for improving access to individualised learning opportunities-such as the learning support provided by bodies such as Mens Sheds.
I look forward to further work in this area (some of which I hope to contribute). I also wonder what you think?