Don’t Stop – Keep Learning

How many times have we heard that education is the most essential of foundations underpinning a prosperous society? Without it we will have little prospect of advancement or growth in a world that is increasingly competitive. We are looking at stagnation at best and at worst a regression and a future with limited hope for newer generations.

As more and more young students than ever before begin to settle into their universities this autumn, it is hoped that the rise in university fees will not push the progressive education that we want for our kids and their kids way off track.

But in addition there is now an ever-increasing element of education – large numbers (and growing every year) of over-fifties are now enrolling in clocal colleges and further education institutions. The sheer number of mature students who have signed on with the Open University is staggering and grows every year. The recently opened University of the Third Age also highlights the fact that there is, and never should be again, a barrier to continuing to learn. Indeed, quite the opposite is true.

Whole lifetimes of experience and all that accumulation of knowledge should not be allowed to go to waste, and it is for this reason that the third age of life is an important new factor in education. Last year in fact, one of the UK’s oldest ever students, 93 year old Dr John North was awarded a doctorate by London University.

So if you’re wondering what to do in retirement, why not look into going back to school?

James is a retired financial journalist and writer. He loves writing about anything except finance, now he doesn’t have to spend his days writing about mortgages, credit cards and payday loans .