Adult Learning Wales works with voluntary and community organisations across Wales. These partnerships help us reach adults who may otherwise be excluded from learning and provide opportunities in trusted, accessible settings.

Voluntary organisations bring knowledge, relationships and credibility developed directly within communities. They are an important part of Wales’ adult learning landscape, and I greatly value the contribution they make.

I am pleased to be part of the Third Sector Partnership Council, where representatives come together to consider shared concerns and contribute to the sector’s engagement with the Welsh Government. A forthcoming discussion will consider political and public discourse, including the challenges created by misinformation, disinformation and increasingly polarised debate.

These are complex issues with no single cause. The rapid spread of information online, social media algorithms, the tone of some public debate, economic uncertainty, differing levels of digital and media literacy, and the growing use of artificial intelligence to create convincing content can all make it more difficult to distinguish reliable information from misleading or false claims.

It is important, however, to distinguish misinformation from legitimate disagreement.

People will hold different political, social and cultural views, and robust debate and scrutiny are essential in a healthy democracy. The role of education is not to tell people what to think or which opinions they should hold. It is to help people evaluate evidence, question sources, recognise misleading information and engage constructively with views that may differ from their own.

Learning and community settings are not separate from wider public debate. Staff, tutors, volunteers and learners may encounter inaccurate or misleading information, strongly held opinions and difficult conversations. Supporting people to navigate those situations confidently and respectfully is therefore becoming an increasingly important part of education and community work.

That is why critical thinking, digital literacy and media literacy matter. People need the confidence and skills to ask where information has come from, consider whether evidence supports a claim, recognise attempts to provoke an emotional response and understand how online content can be amplified or manipulated.

The growth of artificial intelligence makes these skills even more important. AI can be a valuable tool, but it can also produce inaccurate information and make it easier to create realistic but misleading text, images, audio and video. Understanding both its potential and its limitations is becoming an important part of digital literacy.

Adult learning has a particular role to play. Through community provision, digital learning, ESOL and work supporting inclusion and community cohesion, Adult Learning Wales provides opportunities for people from different backgrounds and experiences to learn together.

Education cannot remove disagreement, nor should it seek to. It can, however, help people approach complex issues with curiosity, evidence and critical judgement rather than relying on assumptions or unverified claims.

Education providers and voluntary organisations cannot address these challenges alone. Practical guidance, appropriate training, access to specialist support and cooperation between government, public bodies, community organisations, education providers and technology platforms will all have a part to play.

The forthcoming discussion provides an opportunity to better understand what communities and organisations are experiencing, identify where support may be needed and consider what can be achieved collectively.

In an increasingly complex information environment, our response should be grounded in evidence, education, openness and the confidence to keep difficult conversations constructive.

Kathryn Robson, Chief Executive