Commonwealth of Learning

Sir John Daniel is interviewed by the South Africa Broadcasting Corporation following his closing keynote address at the African Council for Distance Education meeting in Tshwane, South Africa in August

Africa: Exploring ODL opportunities

COL President Sir John Daniel recently completed a three-week trip to eight Commonwealth countries in southern Africa. This tour included several speeches at open and distance learning (ODL) conferences, including the African Council of Distance Education Conference (see "Two new African DE organisations launched"). Sir John also met with ministers of education or deputy/acting ministers in Botswana, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Swaziland and Zambia. He reports that good progress is being made in the development of ODL in those countries:

"It was particularly rewarding to be able to visit the eight Commonwealth countries of southern Africa on the same trip because I could observe the developing regional consciousness and appreciate the special links between countries. Botswana and Lesotho are united by a common language, whilst Lesotho and Swaziland both have monarchs. There is great potential - a role for COL - in sharing know-how between countries. Namibia, for example, does an admirable job of co-ordinating ODL nationally through NOLNET, the Namibian Open Learning Network, a body that other countries should emulate. I was impressed by the rapid and energetic start that has been made by SARDEC, the Southern African Regional Distance Education Centre based at the Botswana College of Open and Distance Learning (BOCODOL) in Botswana (www.sardec.org.bw). Throughout the region I found great interest in working with SARDEC and taking advantage of its services.

"My lasting impression is that ministers of education in all countries are convinced that the greater use of technology, whether ICTs or ODL, is the answer to several of their major challenges. There are many institutions, some with a long history, engaged in distance education. What is needed, and this is another area where COL can help, is to articulate the aspirations for ODL in national policy and to develop organisational frameworks for making the whole greater than the sum of the parts.

"I thank the many African colleagues that I met for the warm welcome they gave me and I commend them on their enthusiasm and dedication in improving the lives of their compatriots by giving them greater opportunities to learn."

Sir John also delivered six speeches at events that took place in Southern Africa while he was there. They are available on COL's web site.

www.col.org/speeches

Two new African DE organisations launched

COL supported the establishment of two new African distance education organisations, which held inaugural international meetings in Tshwane (Pretoria), South Africa in August.

Over 200 delegates from over 20 countries participated at the first African Council for Distance Education (ACDE) conference, which was held at the University of South Africa (UNISA). "The Mobilisation of African Leadership - Policies, Strategies and Partnerships" was the conference theme.

There were 170 delegates from 23 countries at the first meeting of Distance Education and Teachers' Training in Africa (DETA), held at the University of Pretoria's Groenkloof Campus (Faculty of Education/Teacher Training) Campus. They discussed the role of distance education and open learning in teacher training in Africa and means of building capacity for the delivery of teacher training programmes through open and distance learning in Africa.

While the DETA conference specifically focussed on teacher education and featured small group workshops and discussions, the ACDE conference focussed on broader macro strategic policy issues within distance education in Africa.

ACDE participants broke into groups that discussed and prepared statements on sub-themes such as teacher education, health and HIV/AIDS, governance and civil society, economic development, capacity building for open and distance learning, and mobilisation of African leadership.

Professor Mohan Menon, COL's Education Specialist, School Development, was a panellist at DETA. Sir John Daniel, COL's President and Chief Executive Officer, delivered a keynote address at ACDE entitled "Open and Distance Education for Africans and by Africans".

In his speech, Sir John suggested that Africans should not be "mesmerised by technologies that are not available to you."

"Africa can innovate too," he said. "Africans can and must take the lead in applying ODL and ICTs to the challenges of African development." Addressing the theme of the conference, he also added that, "Mobilising African leadership must include mobilising the huge African Diaspora by inspiring some of them to return to Africa and others to contribute to Africa's development from their new homes. Open and distance learning - most particularly the creation of open educational resources - provides excellent vehicles for doing that."

www.unisa.ac.za/acde

www.deta.up.ac.za

www.col.org/speeches

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Participants at the Copyright Experts meeting in Johannesburg

COL is working with experts in copyright to help Commonwealth countries implement education-friendly legislation that makes learning content more accessible and affordable. A group of experts in law, education and technology from Botswana, Canada, South Africa and the U.S. met in Johannesburg, South Africa in May and drafted a "Document for Commonwealth Countries on Copyright Matters in Education". This paper outlines issues with copyright laws and education, and makes several recommendations.

While countries need to ensure learning content is available across the broadest possible base of their population, they are under pressure to adopt stricter copyright laws. It is important that governments take advantage of flexibilities in international agreements to safeguard and enhance access to learning content. The "Document for Commonwealth Countries on Copyright Matters in Education" lists exceptions and limitations to copyright that are permitted by international agreements and that are necessary for a fair education policy.

COL has sent this document to the Ministers of Education in Commonwealth countries, encouraging them to audit their copyright legislation to ensure adequate access to educational content in their country. COL will continue to communicate with Ministries of Education regarding copyright matters affecting education.

Also in Africa, the Africa Copyright Forum Conference, organised by the Uganda Library and Information Association and the National Library of Uganda, has been scheduled for 28-30 November in Kampala, Uganda. The first pan-African event of its kind, this conference aims to establish a network of copyright advocates in the areas of education, training, libraries, publishing and the creative arts. The conference is sponsored by COL and the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions Action for Development through Libraries Programme (IFLA ALP). There will also be a copyright workshop at the fourth Pan-Commonwealth Forum on Open Learning in Ochos Rios, Jamaica from 30 October to 3 November 2006.

www.col.org/copyright

Patently absurd

A couple of recent articles illustrate both the seriousness and the absurdity of patent issues. Microsoft is taken to task for attempting to patent custom emoticons - computer graphics such as the smiley face (http://news.zdnet.co.uk/). And patent laws are put in an interesting context when writer Richard Stallman examines what would happen if Victor Hugo's novel Les Miserables was subject to a literary patent. www.guardian.co.uk/

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Exploring the
underachievement of boys

COL is undertaking extensive research into why some boys underachieve in developing countries. This research is a follow-up to a request from Commonwealth Education Ministers when they met in Edinburgh in October 2003. Education ministers identified the elimination of gender disparity as one of the meeting's resulting six action areas. Recognising that gender disparity encompasses the poor achievement of both girls and boys, education ministers asked the Commonwealth Secretariat to work in partnership with other Commonwealth agencies such as COL to assist member countries faced with the challenge of boys' underachievement. They suggested that a close review of policies, cultural practices and curricula in Commonwealth countries would assist in addressing all gender-related areas.

Dr. C.A. Sewell, working as a COL consultant, will provide a "road map" of the nature and extent of the problem of underachievement of boys in Commonwealth countries. An educator who specialises in race and education, Dr. Sewell is a former senior lecturer at the University of Leeds School of Education. Working with researchers in Africa, the Caribbean, the Pacific, the industrialised North and Asia, Dr. Sewell has now completed a literature review and field work in several countries, including Jamaica, Lesotho and Trinidad and Tobago.

His preliminary findings are that countries are recognising the underachievement of boys and that curriculum may be a large part of the problem. Each country has an issue about boys in a different way, according to Dr. Sewell. In Jamaica, many boys are becoming disaffected with school at an early age, dropping out and becoming involved in violence. In the small kingdom of Lesotho in southern Africa, there is evidence that boys are being discriminated against in the education system. It's the girls who are pursuing higher education and moving to South Africa to take good jobs. In many rural areas, families keep their boys at home to help with the farming.

The importance of the underachievement of boys is stressed by Senator, the Honourable Burchell Whiteman, Minister of Information for Jamaica and a member of COL's Board of Governors.

"We're losing boys from school very early in the Caribbean," Senator Whiteman explained. "Studies suggest that the attitude and the interests of the boys are at variance with what formal schooling is all about. They want to be equipped very early to be able to earn for a variety of reasons, and they don't see much of what is in the curriculum taking them along that road. These issues in the Caribbean need urgently to be addressed."

Dr. Sewell will present his final report in early 2006. In addition to sharing research findings on the issue, this report will identify possible solutions including the opportunities to apply open, distance and technology-mediated learning.

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New Plan takes shape

The first phase of COL's planning exercise for its Three-year Plan 2006-2009 is drawing to a close. In April, a group of experts who were engaged to assist with planning met at COL's offices in Vancouver to share their views with staff. COL's Board of Governors held a planning retreat at their June Board Meeting. Next, COL's Education Specialists met with the President of COL, Sir John Daniel, to reflect upon the messages being transmitted including those in the regional consultations.

The issue under discussion is what content the plan should include and how the programme side will be organised in the new plan. A major conclusion is that COL should continue to work towards achieving the UN Millennium Development Goals and adopt a programme structure that reflects this emphasis while still concentrating on open and distance learning Policy, Systems and Applications.

The next steps include a meeting to specifically focus on the particular needs of Africa, within the context of the U.K. Government's Commission for Africa focus. This will take place in Tunisia at the African Development Bank in December. We will also consult with funding organisations such as the U.K. Department for International Development (DFID), the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA), the Indian, Jamaican, Kiribati, New Zealand, Nigerian and South African governments and representatives on the Board of Governors from Sri Lanka, Africa and the United Kingdom. Other international organisations that might partner with COL in the new plan will also be consulted.

There does come a time, of course, when thinking has to stop and action must begin! The plan is now being drafted and will be made available for consultation. There will then be a series of re-drafts until the final version is ready to submit to the Board of Governors at an early 2006 meeting. Following comment and approval, the plan will be submitted to the Conference of Commonwealth Education Ministers (CCEM) in Cape Town, South Africa in December 2006 for endorsement by the Ministers and funding pledges. The fourth Pan-Commonwealth Forum on Open Learning, being held in Jamaica in October/November 2006, will also consider the plan and its implementation.

COL would like to thank all who have contributed towards the planning process. Your contribution has shaped our thinking and will re-focus our efforts in the new planning period. We hope that you will continue to contribute by commenting on drafts of the plan when they are posted on the COL website.

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The Open School plaque is unveiled by Her Excellency, Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga, President of Sri Lanka, in the presence of (behind from left) Dr. Tara de Mel, Education Ministry Secretary, Mr. Mangala Samaraweera, Deputy Minister of Education and Professor J.W. Wickramasinghe, Director General of the National Institute of Education

The growth of open schooling

The success of Education for All (EFA) initiatives has created a new educational challenge - the need for more secondary schooling and technical-vocational training. In many developing countries there are now large numbers of primary school graduates that have limited opportunities to continue their education. As this group of neo-literates and post-primary students grows, alternative methods to conventional education must be found so that people can acquire skill training or continue on with their education.

One of the solutions is open schooling, where open and distance learning (ODL) is used to deliver course content at primary, junior, secondary and post-secondary levels. COL is supporting open schools in many regions. Here are a few recent initiatives:

Open school inaugurated in Sri Lanka

The President of Sri Lanka, Her Excellency Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga, formally launched the Open School, Sri Lanka at a meeting in May. The one-day International Workshop on Open School in Colombo brought together open schooling experts from around the world. COL and its regional arm, Commonwealth Educational Media Centre for Asia (CEMCA), provided funding for Father T.V. Kunnunkal, the founder of the National Institute of Opening Schooling (NIOS) and Mrs. Gopa Biswas from the NIOS in India to visit Sri Lanka during the meeting and consult with staff at the newly-established division. As a result of the meeting, the Open School faculty has drawn up an action plan for the next few years.

Open Technical School in Ghana

COL is supporting a series of training workshops for course writers, course designers, managers and production houses in open technical schools as part of the President's Special Initiative on Distance Learning (PSI-DL) in Ghana. Initiated by the President of Ghana, His Excellency John A. Kufuor, PSI-DL is working to develop an open technical school project for youth in Ghana. Pilot learning materials are being developed for two courses - block laying and concreting, and hospitality - and are expected to be complete by the end of 2005.

Recognising how improved technical and vocational education and training (TVET) will help the private sector grow and help Ghana achieve accelerated development, PSI-DL is developing a nationwide Open Schooling Programme in Technical and Vocational Skills. A steering committee comprised of TVET practitioners and experts in the field are assessing the location of learning centres, availability of courses, staff qualifications, quality assurance and accessibility. This evaluation will include 127 TVET schools across the country.

The first in a series of open and distance learning (ODL) training workshops supported by COL took place in Dodowa, Ghana from 4-9 July. Subsequent workshops are scheduled for later this year to train selected staff in writing, delivery and management of ODL for TVET.

The open technical schooling system being introduced in Ghana will use ODL and information and communications technology (ICT) to scale up entry for the youth across the country. COL will help the PSI-DL to apply the appropriate technology in course delivery during and after the pilot. The course materials being developed will be made available for adaptation by other Commonwealth countries in Sub-Saharan Africa.

Open school planning, Nigeria

As a result of an earlier open schooling advocacy and awareness-raising meeting held in Nigeria, COL was asked by the Universal Basic Education division at the Ministry of Education to provide a consultant to prepare a proposal for an open schooling pilot project. Stakeholders from Nigeria met in June to discuss the proposal that was subsequently prepared by Professor Tony Dodds and funded by COL. COL has also pledged ongoing support for Nigeria's Open School initiative.

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CREDIT: Sarah Cardey, 2003

New radio series combats poverty

Coming Together is a new initiative that uses the broad reach of radio to help fight poverty. This pilot series is designed for broadcast by local and community radio stations, or it may be heard and downloaded from the web. It has been produced by Open Learning Systems Education Trust (OLSET) and COL for use anywhere that people want to take action to help fight poverty and improve their lives, and in particular Sub-Saharan Africa and Asia.

Improving soil fertility, how to market goods and raising cash through micro-credit are some of the subjects featured in the radio programmes. The programmes are available in long format (15-17 minutes) or as three shorter segments (5-7 minutes) to give flexibility to broadcasters. They are all free-of-charge, including the accompanying music, and can be adapted to suit the listeners of radio stations. Versions without music and complete transcripts can be provided if there is a need to translate the presentation into a local language.

www.col.org/communitylearn

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Sharing COL's message

Sir John Daniel has spoken at numerous events around the globe this year. These are welcome opportunities to communicate important messages about COL and about open and distance learning (ODL) for development.

Sir John spoke about technical and vocational education and training (TVET) at the Pacific Islands Forum Education Ministers Meeting in Samoa in May. He talked about TVET in the Pacific through ODL and COL's support of several initiatives.

In a keynote address to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD)/Canada Conference on eLearning in Post-secondary Education, Sir John focused on "International Online Learning Delivery: Can digital dividend replace digital divide?" Co-authored by COL Education Specialist Mr. Paul West, Ms. Susan D'Antoni of UNESCO's International Institute for Educational Planning and Ms. Stamenka Uvaliã-Trumbiã, the Chief of UNESCO's Access, Mobility and Quality Assurance Section, this presentation focused on the potential and challenges of eLearning for developing countries.

"The Long-Awaited Breakthrough?" was the title of a speech to the Multimedia Educational Resource for Learning and Online Teaching (MERLOT) conference in Nashville, Tennessee in July 2005. This presentation was also co-authored by Mr. West, Ms. D'Antoni and Ms. Uvali¿-Trumbi¿. Sir John encouraged conference attendees to "combine connectivity with open educational resources so as to create a global intellectual commons accessible to the whole of humankind."

www.col.org/speeches

COL funds new international interns

Thirteen new participants are gaining valuable international work experience through the 2005/2006 Young Professionals Attachment Programme. The young Canadians are currently engaged in six- to twelve-month internships with Commonwealth and international agencies in Europe, Africa, India and Asia. The programme is funded by the Government of Canada's Youth Employment Strategy (YES) Career Focus Program, through Foreign Affairs Canada.

Training ODL educators in Nigeria

Fifty open and distance learning (ODL) educators from Nigeria have enrolled in advanced training under COL's Rajiv Gandhi Fellowship Scheme. Delivered by India's Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU), the programme consists of a Post-graduate Diploma in Distance Education (PGDDE) followed by a Master of Arts in Distance Education (MADE) degree.

The new programme participants are from universities, colleges and other institutions across Nigeria. Their participation has been co-ordinated by the National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN) and the COL-supported Regional Training and Research Institute for Open and Distance Learning (RETRIDAL), which opened earlier this year. Five local tutors from Nigeria are being trained by IGNOU so students can receive ongoing support.

This is the third presentation of COL's Rajiv Gandhi Fellowship Scheme. To date, more than 100 students from 23 countries have graduated with their MADE degree from IGNOU. The programme seeks to develop and improve ODL programmes by building ODL capacity among staff at ministries of education, universities and teachers' institutes.

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New Zealand, India share best practices

Two staff members from the National Institute of Open Schooling (NIOS) in India recently made a study visit to the Open Polytechnic of New Zealand. The focus was on exploring delivery and support of technical and vocational courses, new techniques in multimedia course development and improving the quality of student support. The visit was funded by the Commonwealth Educational Media Centre for Asia (CEMCA), a regional arm of COL. The aim of linkages like this is to help build capacity within organisations such as NIOS.

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InfoDev and COL support NEPAD
e-Schools Project

In the spirit of collaboration to support the use of ICT in education in Africa, COL and InfoDev (Information for Development Programme, a World Bank Initiative) recently announced their partnership to support the monitoring and evaluation of the New Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD) e-Schools Demonstration Project. In welcoming this partnership, Dr. Henry Chasia, Executive Deputy Chairperson, e-Africa Commission noted, "The NEPAD e-Africa Commission is glad to welcome the InfoDev Programme as a partner in the Monitoring and Evaluation component of the NEPAD e-Schools Demo, which is being spearheaded by the Commonwealth of Learning. InfoDev's support will ensure a more comprehensive Monitoring and Evaluation implementation plan, which is critical for the rollout of the NEPAD e-Schools Initiative across the African continent."

In becoming a partner in the Monitoring and Evaluation initiative, InfoDev's Mike Trucano said, "Few ICT in education projects of this sort have made rigorous Monitoring and Evaluation an important part of their implementation plan - and strategy - from the very beginning. The NEPAD e-Schools initiative is to be commended for this, and we are pleased to be able to collaborate with COL to document the learning and challenges from this complex undertaking."

COL President Sir John Daniel is proud of the excellent work being done to support NEPAD and encouraged that InfoDev is a partner in this.

"Given the skepticism around the application of information, communication and technologies (ICTs) for development, we believe that this strong partnership for M&E will give credibility to the e-Schools initiative and provide a solid base for the future use of ICTs in African education," Sir John said.

NEPAD has identified infrastructure, and especially ICT development, as a priority action area in order to promote sustainable development. The NEPAD e-Africa Commission is the NEPAD Task Team responsible for taking leadership in this area in cooperation with a wide range of ICT private sector organisations. The NEPAD e-Schools Initiative is the first of the Commission's initiatives. It is a multi-country, multi-stakeholder, continental initiative, intended to impart ICT skills to young Africans in primary and secondary schools and to use ICT to improve the provision of education in schools. The goal is that, within 10 years of implementation in more than half a million schools on the continent, the African population will possess the ICT skills essential for sustainable development.

The first phase of the e-Schools Initiative was launched on 1 April 2005. It involves a demonstration project focusing on six schools in each of 16 countries, the development of the NEPAD e-Schools Initiative business plan and the SATLINK project, which is intended to define the most appropriate satellite connectivity architecture. It is expected that these activities will converge into the rollout of the broader NEPAD e-Schools Initiative in 2006.

COL in Action