ABSTRACT
It is significant that we distinguish adult education from other forms of educational provision by reference to the nature of its clients. Primary, secondary, further, and higher education are differentiated from one another in terms of notional stages in the unfolding of the educational enterprise. Technical, physical, and moral education are differentiated from one another and from legal or medical education in terms of their distinctive contents and objectives. But, if nomenclature is any guide, the vast assortment of activities which are collectively styled 'adult education' derive whatever common character they have from the character of the clients, actual and potential, on whose behalf they are initiated. Naturally, within this heterogeneous collection of activities different levels of operation are recognized, and the multitude of programmes of study evince a multitude of distinguishable objectives and spheres of concern. However, if for most purposes we marshal this astonishing miscellany of activities under the generic name of 'adult education', this is solely because they are felt to partake of a common identity rooted in the characteristic needs, claims, and circumstances of adults as a distinct genus of educational beneficiaries. To elucidate the concept of 'adult education', then, we require to elucidate the concept of an 'adult'.
