Adult lifelong learning in public administration in Ukraine: a pedagogical perspective from a crisis-affected context

The article examines lifelong learning of civil servants in Ukraine in the context of a prolonged crisis caused by a full-scale war. This issue is studied from a pedagogical perspective, with a focus on andragogy in general and on the policies of EU countries. Lifelong learning is defined not only as organisational requirements but also as a structured pedagogical process that can foster students' development in conditions of crisis, stress, rapid change, and instability. In the course of the research, it was established that lifelong learning among civil servants is mostly studied through the prism of the effectiveness of administration and human resources management, while the pedagogical mechanisms of this direction remain poorly formulated. This is confirmed by analyses of OECD and UNESCO documents and reports, which reveal an acute gap in the operationalisation of lifelong learning in wartime. Using analytical and comparative methods, the study systematises pedagogical approaches relevant to civil servants, including andragogic principles, self-directed and experiential learning, and digital learning environments. The results of the study show that effective lifelong learning in a crisis requires updated, pedagogically sound educational designs that integrate student awareness, experiential learning, mental resilience, and the development of interdisciplinary competencies, alongside non-standardised learning models. This will strengthen lifelong pedagogical learning in public administration affected by the crisis, help develop curricula aligned with relevant competencies, and support short-cycle on-the-job training formats for professional development in Ukraine