Open Schooling

Open schools are increasingly recognised as a solution to the growing demand for secondary school education in developing countries. As primary school enrolments grow due to successful efforts to meet the United Nations Millennium Development Goal of Universal Primary Education, many nations are unable to accommodate the corresponding increase in potential secondary school students.

The Gross Enrolment Rate for secondary education in Sub-Saharan Africa is just 30 percent, less than half the world average of 65%.

Open Schooling is increasingly recognised as a viable solution to the lack of qualified teachers and conventional schools in the developing world. Open Schooling is defined by two elements:

• the physical separation of the school-level learner from the teacher, and 
• the use of unconventional teaching methodologies and information and communications technologies (ICTs) to bridge the separation and provide the education and training.

The "open" in Open Schooling refers to the openness of the system; usually there are no rules dictating student ages, prerequisites, content of courses or number of courses in which learners must enroll. As a result, Open Schooling meets the needs of a broad range of learners:

• Young people who missed out on schooling in their childhood can pursue a secondary education without having to attend classes with much younger children.
• Young mothers can learn at home and attend tutorials when necessary.
• Working adults can study while continuing to earn a living.
• People of all ages can acquire new skills and knowledge to improve their livelihoods.

COL is helping to increase access to quality education while increasing student achievement by providing teachers in developing countries with new technologies, tools and skills. COL's Open Schooling initiatives include:

• Advocacy. COL works with partners in government, non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and education institutions to promote Open Schooling.
• Development of Open Schools. COL has helped develop policies and proposals for the establishment of open schools in Trinidad & Tobago, Nigeria and Pakistan.
• Capacity building. COL works with partners to train educators, administrators and policymakers in the development and operation of open schools. Workshops have focused on materials development, instructional design, radio broadcasting, learner support, eLearning, management of open schools, strategic planning for open schools and quality assurance.
• Fostering Collaboration. Funded by a grant from The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, COL is working with educators in six countries - Botswana, India, Lesotho, Namibia, Seychelles and Trinidad & Tobago - to develop and share open educational resources (OERs) for secondary education, the professional development of teachers in the effective use of technology in classrooms and creating learner support material for teachers.
• Publications. COL has published a number of handbooks and guides to support open schools including:
  • Costs and Financing in Open Schools, a self-instructional resource book and CD-ROM,
  • Planning and Implementing Open and Distance Learning Systems, a handbook for decision makers,
  • Manual for the tutors of Learning Centers in Open Schools, and
  • Handbook on In-house Style for Course Development, a guide to help educators create new curriculum or adapt existing classroom curriculum for open schooling.
• Learning materials. COL has assisted with the development of quality learning materials for open schools.
• Research. "Open Schooling for Secondary and Higher Secondary Education" explores the provision of secondary level Open Schooling in India and Namibia. Commissioned by COL, this study explored the costs and effectiveness of two open schools - the National Institute of Open Schooling (NIOS) in India and the Namibian College of Open Learning (NAMCOL) in Namibia. The report was authored by two renowned experts in the field, Professor Greville Rumble and Professor Badri N Koul. COL has also commissioned research into the use of mobile technologies in Africa.
• Quality assurance. COL is developing a QA Toolkit for open schools.