Abstract:

The purpose of this paper is to describe the growth of the older population and analyze its implications on life-long education in Malaysia. One of the most significant demographic phenomena in the 21 century, as described by demographers and gerontologist, is the ageing of the world population. Developing countries, including Malaysia, have been experiencing an increasing proportion of the older population. Although developed countries have relatively high proportion of the older population, the older population in developing countries is growing at a faster rate. As projected by United Nations, developing countries will become home to the largest proportion of the older person in the world in the near future. It is projected that there will be nearly one billion people aged 65 and above by the year 2025, of which more than 60 percent will be living in developing countries. This paper, therefore seeks to describe the growth of this population and analyze its implications on life-long education in Malaysia. The demographic situation in Malaysia has also shown signs of population ageing. Although a number as well as percentage of the elderly population in Malaysia is still considered small, but it is expected that Malaysia will have a serious problems about it in the near future. Utilizing data from a survey of 240 respondents aged 60 and above in rural areas in Malaysia, this study shows that the number and the proportion of the older population in Malaysia are on the increasing. Data from in-depth interviews also shows that there are a lot of barriers to these older persons to pursue life-long education in Malaysia. Before discussing the growth of the older population in Malaysia, it is important to understand the population ageing itself and the growth of older population in the global context. The phenomenon of population ageing and the growth of older population in the global context are then reviewed. After outlining the global demographic development, the paper discusses some aspect of demographic dimensions in Malaysia. The paper ends with a brief discussion concerning the barriers to these older persons to pursue life-long education in Malaysia. In particular, the paper will discuss the issues according to the following sub topic: (1) the population ageing: global perspectives; (2) the growth of older population in Malaysia; (3) some characteristics of older population in Malaysia; (4) the older persons and the life-long education in Malaysia; and (5) conclusion.

Keywords:

Demographic phenomena, older population, population ageing.