Editorial note

In a period of rapid transformations in work, education, technology and policies, Adult Education is reemerging not as a "subsystem" but as a critical component of a broader ecosystem of lifelong learning.This issue brings together seven studies that, from different starting points, fruitfully "discuss" with each other and map a common orientation: the need to connect learning with social justice, the qualitative transition to work, and the cultivation of critical thinking and action.Karalis, in his article "Is there any place for Adult Education in the era of Lifelong Learning?",convincingly documents that "lifelong learning" is not just a policy term, but the slow emergence of a new paradigm with the central concept of the continuum-the continuity of both educational institutions (formal, non-formal, informal education) and learning pathways.The historical "massification" of education, the shift from certification to micro-accreditation, the emergence of new types of inequalities in access to resources (especially in the digital sphere) and the Matthew effect in adult participation, constitute a demanding scenario where Adult Education is called upon to play a dual role: (a) compensatory/complementary towards inequalities and (b) democratic, with a focus on the cultivation of critical thinking and critical reflection as a transversal theme.Learning is increasingly described through notions of flexibility, employability, and continuous adaptation.A fundamental question therefore emerges: when learning is framed as a lifelong requirement, where does responsibility truly lie-with the individual or with society?Karalis invites us to understand lifelong learning not simply as a policy orientation but as a deeper paradigmatic transformation.Within this context, Adult Education is called to safeguard its social role, so that it does not dissolve into a narrow logic of constant upskilling and individual accountability.The article offers a framework of understanding that "unlocks" practical synergies between universities, nonformal education institutions and informal learning spaces.Thanassis Karalis argues that in recent years, lifelong learning has expanded and reshaped almost every educational discussion.