In partnership with the Caribbean Agricultural Research and Development Institute (CARDI) and Jamaican Micro Enterprise Financing Ltd. (MEFL), COL is introducing its Lifelong Learning for Farmers (L3 Farmers) programme in Jamaica. Already successful and self-replicating in Tamil Nadu state in India, L3 Farmers facilitates partnerships among farmers, researchers, marketers and bankers. By improving access to information and financing for farmers, L3 Farmers aims to reduce poverty and promote development.
Pointing to a "deficiency in knowledge" in the area of small farm agriculture, Jamaica's Agriculture and Lands Minister, the Hon. Mr. Roger Clarke, highlighted the need for such a programme in his country. Mr. Clark attended the initial L3 Farmers workshop in Jamaica, which explored how to adapt the programme for that region. The plan is to establish L3 Farmers first in Jamaica and then expand the programme to other Caribbean countries.
COL EDUCATION SPECIALIST DR. WILLIE CLARKE-OKAH, THE HON. MR. ROGER CLARKE, JAMAICA'S AGRICULTURE AND LANDS MINISTER, COL EDUCATION SPECIALIST DR. KRISHNA ALLURI AND DR. FRANCIS ASIEDU, COUNTRY TEAM LEADER, CARDI, JAMAICA AT THE INITIAL L3 FARMERS WORKSHOP IN JAMAICA IN OCTOBER
LEARNING MATERIALS DONATED TO WIKI-EDUCATOR
WikiEducator has received a donation of 100 Math and English lessons from College of the Rockies in Cranbrook, BC, Canada. These learning materials will be freely available under a Creative Commons license. Launched by COL in 2006, WikiEducator is a website (www.WikiEducator.org) that provides free eLearning content for anyone to edit and use. WikiEducator is being used extensively to develop educational resources for the Virtual University for Small States of the Commonwealth (VUSSC).
The donation illustrates a growing trend towards sharing of learning materials in academia, according to Mr. Wayne Mackintosh, COL Education Specialist, eLearning and ICT Policy.
"The College of the Rockies is showing real leadership in making their materials freely available through WikiEducator," said Mr. Mackintosh. "We hope that other institutions will recognise the enormous good that can be accomplished by offering free content to learners, particularly in developing countries."
"College of the Rockies has a strong commitment to increasing student access through online delivery as well as to increasing our participation in international educational initiatives," said Dr. Nicholas Rubidge, College of the Rockies President and CEO. "While College of the Rockies participates in a provincial educational repository, this is the first time the College has been involved in an international learning content collection."
Gina Bennett, the College's eLearning Specialist and author of the learning materials, agrees the donation provides a win-win opportunity for WikiEducator and the College of the Rockies. "Our College benefits from open content provided by other institutions so we are pleased to be able to give something back," said Ms. Bennett.
COL supported a workshop in Ghana in January 2007 where educators from The Gambia, Ghana, Nigeria and Sierra Leone transformed the Canadian Math and English materials into Wiki format, making it easy for users to store, revise and use the content. This partnership enables African educators to add value as equal partners to realising the educational aims of the region.
Institutions that are interested in donating learning materials to WikiEducator to be offered as free content globally are asked to contact Mr. Mackintosh at wmackintosh.
www.wikieducator.org
www.cotr.bc.ca
BUILDING TVET CAPACITY
Eight students from St Kitts and Nevis recently completed the Special Diploma in Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) programme of the University of Technology (UTech), Jamaica. Designed jointly by COL and UTech for teachers in the Caribbean, this programme is building capacity in TVET through open and distance learning (ODL). The graduation ceremony was held in Kingston, Jamaica in November in the presence of the Governor-General of Jamaica, His Excellency, The Most Honourable Professor Kenneth O. Hall.
ATTENDING THE SPECIAL DIPLOMA IN TVET GRADUATION IN JAMAICA WERE: MRS. ANITA THOMAS-JAMES, PROGRAMME MANAGER, COL/UTECH DIPLOMA; MS. VELDA EDDY, STUDENT; MS. CALMIN GLASCOW, STUDENT, MS. ADOLCEEN WOODLEY, STUDENT, MR. JOSHUA C. MALLET, COL EDUCATION SPECIALIST; MR. WINSLOW BROOKS, STUDENT; MS. JOANNE WILLIAMS, STUDENT; MS. MARILYN ROGERS, PRINCIPAL, CLARENCE FITZROY BRYAN COLLEGE, ST. KITTS/NEVIS AND MS. SYBIL HAMIL, LECTURER, UTECH
TVET IN GHANA
A group of 38 teachers have enrolled in a two-year Bachelor degree programme in Technical and Vocational Education (TVET) at the University of Education, Winneba (UEW) in Ghana. The pilot programme, supported by COL, is being offered by distance learning for the first time. In addition to studying on their own, the learners will participate in 11 face-to-face sessions and two residential sessions during the four semesters.
UEW has offered the TVET degree programme using the traditional classroom-based approach since 1998. The university decided to expand the programme to distance mode in 2003. COL supported UEW in developing the new learning materials. Course writers used local materials and also used courseware from the University of Technology (UTech), Jamaica adapted for use in Ghana. The current group of learners is piloting these learning materials. When this group graduates in two years, UEW plans to add three or four more study centres and double the intake of students.
Caption: SIR JOHN DANIEL, PRESIDENT AND CEO OF COL, MET RECENTLY WITH MR. PAPA OWUSU-AKNOMAH, MINISTER FOR EDUCATION, SCIENCE AND SPORTS, IN GHANA
COMMONWEALTH EXECUTIVE DEGREES PROGRAMME GROWS
COL's two executive degree programmes are expanding to more institutions, have growing enrolments and are undergoing major course revisions to meet learner needs.
The Commonwealth Executive Master of Business Administration and Master ofPublic Administration (CEMBA/CEMPA) programmes are designed for senior and middle managers working in developing Commonwealth countries. Courses are delivered through open and distance learning (ODL). The programmes involve two years of full-time study.
The CEMBA/CEMPA degrees and diplomas are granted by one of the partner universities. This consortium, originally consisting of four open universities in South Asia, has expanded to include the National Open University of Nigeria and Wawasan Open University in Malaysia.
There have been more than 13,000 CEMBA/CEMPA course enrolments since the programmes started in 2002. Allama Iqbal Open University in Pakistan has experienced the highest increase, from 1,600 in 2003 to more than 4,000 in 2005.
"The Commonwealth executive degree programmes are helping developing nations meet the need for highly trained professionals who can contribute to economic growth and good governance," said Dr. Willie Clarke-Okah, COL's Education Specialist, Higher Education and Policy Development. "The programmes offer all the advantages of ODL - flexibility, affordability and accessibility."
Major course revisions are currently underway to ensure the programmes offer relevant content, updated case studies and action learning opportunities. The CEMBA/CEMPA section of COL's website is being expanded to include content and links from partner universities and a resources section for ODL, online and print learning materials. COL continues to explore programme expansion in Africa, Asia and the Caribbean.
www.col.org/cemba
DIARY OF A NEW RECRUIT
BY WILLIE CLARKE-OKAH
Dr. Willie Clarke-Okah joined COL in September 2006 as Education Specialist, Higher Education and Policy Development. This is the first instalment of a regular feature where he shares his impressions of his first year with COL.
Countless moons ago when I worked with the Special Programs Branch of the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA), I made regular trips to some of the key institutions in British Columbia, including the Commonwealth of Learning. At that time, COL was in its infancy. Later, Connections was mailed to me on a regular basis even when I was overseas on assignments. Little did I know that I'd end up in COL pushing higher education and policy development across the Commonwealth!
How did it all happen? A friend had spotted an ad on COL's website and thought: hey, this job is job tailor-made for Willie! He encouraged me to visit the website. I never did. Busy, as CIDA's Head of Aid in Jamaica, a new job was the last thing on my mind. My friend persisted, finally e-mailing me the ad. The Connections people; how interesting, I thought. That night, I read four back issues of Connections. Then I discussed my temptations with my wife. End decision: why not?! So, I applied. The rest, as they say, is history.
The earliest I could join COL was in September 2006, but I attended a conference that the World Bank, UNESCO and COL were co-sponsoring in Paris on quality assurance in higher education. And I took time off to join my new colleagues in Vancouver to review COL's draft Three-year Plan. These two events gave me a quick refresher on the debate about quality assurance and the workings of COL. Meanwhile, back in Jamaica, I was now getting more e-mail messages from COL than I was receiving from CIDA headquarters. When I arrived in September, I would hit the ground running.
Then something not so funny happened! Returning to Jamaica in July, I found my residence in almost complete darkness. In a highly security conscious environment, that was a shocker. Heightening my concern was the news from one of the security guards that the place has been in darkness for two weeks and the property manager at the High Commission of Canada wasn't informed. I was royally put off by this rather reckless abandonment of duty, and as soon as I opened the doors to the house, I proceeded to change the light bulbs. To fix one of the patio lights at the back of the house, I had to pull the heavy outdoor dining table out of the way. This wasn't a job for one person, let alone for one with a chronic lower back problem who had just stepped off a long flight. But I was too mad to ask for help. So I foolishly did myself in. In trying fruitlessly to yank the table aside, I yanked out something in my back; not something you want happening to you when you are alone, very busy and have only a few weeks to go before taking up a new job. I was just coming out of it when I assumed my COL position in September. It was a great relief to know that I could show up on my first day of work without limping around like the Hunchback of Notre Dame!
COL is a unique learning organisation. Wired, connected, quick, nimble and agile, it is your quintessential smart organisation that is results oriented with a sharp eye on the Millennium Development Goals. Customer service, as it were, is front and centre of COL's everyday life and those charged with the design and delivery of its services are very much empowered to do so - in decision-making, development of project ideas and funding of activities. The collegial working atmosphere is infectious. Colleagues are highly committed to learning for development, very knowledgeable and skilled in their respective areas of expertise, and luckily for me have been very helpful and supportive as I find my way around the organisation and its impressive network of contacts. I'm enjoying the job immensely and look forward to making a worthwhile contribution to COL's work.
I was able to find a home within days of my arrival in Vancouver. I have settled in quite nicely in the suburb of New Westminster in a condo that looks like an IKEA franchise. I have run into several old friends and I'm beginning to feel very much at home. There's a Jamaican grocery store behind my condo and a Nigerian restaurant down the road. Just about everything is within a short walking distance. The Skytrain station is close by; 25 minutes on the tracks and I'm at the train station downtown that's a couple of blocks away from the office.
I see exciting and productive times ahead as I work with our partners to advance their goals and objectives.
COL'S FOCAL POINTS
To make our relationship with each Commonwealth Member State more systematic and interactive, COL has introduced a network of COL Focal Points. Each Minister of Education was requested to nominate a person who would act as a Focal Point and be COL's primary contact in that country.
Through dialogue with the Focal Points, COL will ensure that our initiatives match national priorities. These discussions will help COL to develop Country Action Plans that will be the operational expression of COL's Three-year Plan for 2006-2009.
www.col.org/focalpoints
"COL in the Commonwealth 2003-2006: Country reports" is now available. Intended as a companion text to "Learning for Development", the Commonwealth of Learning's Three-year Plan for 2006-2009, this compendium reviews COL's work over the last triennium country by country. These country reviews, which cover all Commonwealth countries except Australia, Canada, New Zealand and the United Kingdom, are grouped under four regions: Africa (and the Mediterranean), Asia, Caribbean and Pacific.
www.col.org/reporting
Copyright law plays an important role in education, because it governs how knowledge is disseminated and used. Recognising the importance of keeping the gates of learning wide open in our information society, COL has been working with a group of experts to address copyright issues. This group recently developed a copyright law checklist, which will help individuals and institutions gain a better understanding of how intellectual property affects education and what countries can do to increase access to education of quality at all levels.
www.col.org/copyright
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