Commonwealth leaders pledged to strengthen their networks of co-operation to promote greater development for the association's mostly developing member states at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in Malta from 25 to 27 November 2005.

In their Malta Declaration on Networking the Commonwealth for Development, the leaders agreed to use information and communication technology to bridge the digital divide among the developed and developing countries of the Commonwealth.

Heads of Government reaffirmed in a separate Gozo Statement on Vulnerable Small States, the Commonwealth's commitment to advocate for the vulnerable small states and to highlight their concerns, particularly in the "erosion of preferential trade access arrangements; rapidly growing debt burdens; additional demands and compliance costs associated with global efforts to combat terrorism; increased environmental risks associated with more frequent and severe natural disasters; the spread of HIV/AIDS and its impacts; and rising levels of youth unemployment."

The leaders also pledged to support and assist small states in their efforts to stabilise and diversify their economies by building levels of resilience to their vulnerabilities.

In their Communiqué issued at the end of CHOGM 2005, Commonwealth leaders addressed various other political and development matters and expressed appreciation for the work of Commonwealth agencies such as COL and specifically noted COL's efforts toward establishing a Virtual University for Small States of the Commonwealth.

COL's report to CHOGM, addressing this year's CHOGM theme, was entitled, Networking Learning Communities for Development: The Commonwealth of Learning and the Millennium Development Goals. Dr. Lewis Perinbam, O.C., Chair of COL's Board of Governors, presented the report to CHOGM's Committee of Foreign Ministers.

The next CHOGM will be held in Kampala, Uganda, in 2007. Trinidad & Tobago will host CHOGM 2009.

www.thecommonwealth.org

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Details on the call for papers, programme, theme and sub-themes of COL's fourth Pan-Commonwealth Forum on Open Learning (PCF4) are now available on the Forum's official web site: http://pcf4.dec.uwi.edu/index.php.

PCF4 addresses Achieving Development Goals through open and distance and technology-mediated learning. This fourth Forum is designed to enable delegates to explore the contribution open and distance learning (ODL) and technology-mediated learning makes to overcoming poverty and building a more stable and prosperous world. Sub-themes - innovation, learning, collaboration and foundations - relate to ODL and technology-mediated learning and have been chosen as a means to interrogate the development potential of our practice.

Deadline for submitting abstracts for consideration is 31 March 2006. Once accepted, the deadline for papers is 30 June 2006. Abstracts and papers can be submitted online through the PCF4 website.

Registration details and options are also avaialable on the web site. The Forum will take place at the Sunset Jamaica Grande in Ocho Rios, Jamaica (www.sunsetjamaicagrande.com). Delegates who choose to stay at this hotel will be able to take advantage of a special "registration & accommodation" package. Some delegate subsidies will be available.

PCF4 is being organised and hosted jointly by COL and the University of the West Indies' Distance Education Centre (UWIDEC), in co-operation with the Caribbean Association for Distance and Open Learning; the Jamaican Association for Distance and Open Learning; the Trinidad & Tobago Distance Learning Association; and the Office of Continuing Education and Distance Learning at the University of Technology, Jamaica.

www.col.org/pcf4

pcf4-information@dec.uwi.edu

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Excellence in Distance Education Awards

COL is continuing its tradition of recognising excellence in distance education through awards to be presented at the Fourth Pan-Commonwealth Forum on Open Learning in Jamaica from 30 October to 3 November 2006. We are currently soliciting nominations for the Excellence in Distance Education Awards - institutional achievement, materials and student experience. The deadline is 31 March 2006.

www.col.org/edea  

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IEC to close its doors

The U.K.'s International Extension College (IEC) is closing due to funding difficulties. One of the leading sources of distance education and open and distance learning (ODL) to the developing world since 1971, IEC focussed on giving the marginalised access to quality education. It was instrumental in raising funds to establish and provide support to a large number of organisations including the South African Institute of Distance Education, Sudan Open Learning Organisation, Botswana Extension College and Malawi College of Distance Education. IEC also worked long and hard for the establishment of COL.

"It is sad to see the passing of IEC, which has done a magnificent job in advancing distance education in the developing world," said Sir John Daniel, the President of COL. "Its passing is a measure of its success, because thanks to IEC's work ODL is now well embedded in many countries. COL will now need to take on a greater responsibility for helping to sustain and develop the ODL institutions that IEC helped to create. We shall do so knowing that we inherit a proud tradition - and in gratitude to IEC for its role in getting COL established."

IEC leaves a legacy of organisations and alumni that will continue to widen access to education in the developing world. It ceases operation on 31 March 2006.

www.iec.ac.uk

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Education Good Practice Awards

The Commonwealth Secretariat has introduced an award for good and promising practices in education in Commonwealth member states. An Education Good Practice is a programme, project, policy strategy or significant intervention that has made a positive difference to the status or condition of primary school children, their teachers or the education system of a country in one or more of six defined Action Areas. The deadline for submissions is 31 March 2006. The Good Practice Awards will be presented at the Conference of Commonwealth Education Ministers in Cape Town, South Africa in December 2006.

www.thecommonwealth.org/education