1 Barbara Surma, Anna Malina, Edina Márkus, Gábor Erdei Educational policy aspects of teacher Continuing Professional Development in Poland and Hungary 1. The concept of lifelong education – spotlight on literature on the subject from the Polish angle The concept of lifelong education of adults is tightly connected with permanent education, the history of which dates back to eighteenth century. In literature on this subject, lifelong education is treated as one of the currents in permanent education. However, sometimes these two notions can be used interchangeably. In broad understanding the concept of permanent education includes: natural upbringing (connected with family, peer, local and professional background), school education, both parallel and permanent. Lifelong education can take the form of self-education, schooling, development and disinterested education 1 . According to Zygmunt Wiatrowski 2 the ideas, statements and publications from the 1960s and 1970s had an influence on the development of recent ideas connected with the essence and tasks of lifelong education in Poland. The above mentioned publications and stands included both documents prepared by international organizations working for UNESCO and the views of P. Lengrand 3 , B. Yeaxle, czy P. Arendo. The report prepared by E. Faure’a, entitled: Learning to be. The World of education today and tomorrow had a big influence on the change of understanding education in Poland 4 . According to the above mentioned scientists, the tasks of permanent education focus on ensuring the possibility of continuing education in order to prolong professional activity as well as creating conditions for adults to update, refresh and develop skills. It is important to enable them to participate in the achievements of our civilization 5 . Lifelong education is treated as a new pedagogical idea, which was influenced by dynamic changes in the society and economy. It is an educational idea of deeply humanistic character, since in the center of attention it puts a man, for whom it is important to create 1 Z. Wiatrowski, 2000Podstawy pedagogiki pracy, WSP, Bydgoszcz,: p. 331. 2 Ibidem: p. 341. 3 P. Lengrand, 1970, An Introduction to Lifelong Education, UNESCO, Paryż. 4 E. Faure (ed..), 1975, Uczyć się aby być, PWN, Warszawa. 5 Z. Wiatrowski, Podstawy pedagogiki pracy, op. cit., p. 343.