Following Nigeria's three-year pledge at last year's Conference of Commonwealth Education Ministers (Halifax, Canada), COL has now received a first contribution of about CDN$500,000 for the current financial year. Consequently, Nigeria has resumed its place as a major financial contributor to COL, which it was when COL was created by Heads of Government in 1987. The officers and Board of Governors of COL are grateful to Nigeria for its generosity and for its confidence in COL.
After four years of suspension, Nigeria returned to full membership status within the Commonwealth in May 1999, when Obasanjo was sworn into office after being elected as President.
At the invitation of the Nigerian Ministry of Education, COL President and CEO, Professor Gajaraj Dhanarajan, headed a delegation to start the process of assisting Nigeria to reintroduce and reinvigorate distance-learning options in its education system. Such provisions had been abolished by Nigeria's military government in 1994.
Nigeria's President, His Excellency General Olusegun Obasanjo, warmly welcomed the delegation and declared his Government's commitment to distance education, in support of the country's basic education programme as well as in further education. He stated that education comes next to food security in his Government's priorities. "We want you to be part of the solution to our problems," he said. Professor Dhanarajan assured the President that COL would respond to Nigeria's request, using the resources that it has and can make available, and that COL is committed to helping the country with distance learning initiatives including the necessary teacher training.
The long-established National Teachers' Institute and the proposed national open university will play major roles in the transformation.
Education Minister, The Honourable Professor Babalola Borishade, said that a Government Bill on distance education would be presented to the National Assembly and that associated funding would be provided in the 2002 budget.
"COL is to distance education what UNESCO is to the formal education system - a generator of ideas, a midwife to new technologies and finally a space where all can come together in building the education of tomorrow."
Professor Rita Verma,
Minister of State for Human Resource Development, India,
addressing COL's Board of Governors in November 2001
India's Minister of State for Human Resource Development, The Honourable Professor Rita Verma, stated that "COL is to distance education what UNESCO is to the formal education system" as she inaugurated the 18th meeting of COL's Board of Governors in New Delhi in November 2001. She confirmed India's continuing support for COL, noted that "capacity building" was one of the principal objectives in the organisation's current three-year plan and pointed out India's almost unique position as both a significant donor to and recipient of COL's efforts. "I hope it will be possible for you to use the services of the Indira Gandhi National Open University (INGOU) system in this capacity building exercise more extensively, particularly in the geographically and culturally contiguous Afro-Asian region," she said. She noted that India's education system and IGNOU have been recognised as leading examples for not only developing, but developed countries as well. "It is remarkable that the gender gap in literacy is narrowing and so is the urban-rural gap. There is [also] significant progress in some of our educationally backward regions. Social transformation implemented by democratic means (this often forgotten) is necessarily time consuming, but the good results are coming in ... Children and their parents will now be both part of the learning environment, synergistically linked."
The COL Board met in New Delhi at the invitation of the Indira Gandhi National Open University and the Commonwealth Educational Media Centre for Asia. Human Resource Development Minister, The Honourable Dr. Murli Manohar Joshi, also hosted a dinner for Board members.
The Knowledge Series is designed as a succinct, topic-by-topic overview of distance education practice and delivery.
Distance education has burgeoned from a limited niche market into a potentially lucrative and even necessary growth venture for many, in a rapidly changing educational landscape. Educators who have kept up to speed in the field of distance learning are aware that throughout the past decade, learning by distance has benefited from pedagogical developments and advances in information and communication technology. Distance education is now a potentially faster, more effective and efficient process than its predecessor, learning by correspondence, and an increasingly attractive option for learners - especially those unwilling or unable to afford full time formal study, or to relocate to a remote location.
Today's global economy demands lifelong learning and skills upgrading from its human capital; subsequently, those clamouring for an education, whether basic, higher or vocational, have increased in number - surpassing the ability of formal academic channels, many already at capacity, to respond to today's educational needs. Other education deliverers, notably professional associations, community organisations and NGOs, are also beginning to offer programmes for distance delivery.
Many institutions that are not currently engaged in distance learning efforts are now recognising the need to do so and others may seek to upgrade old-tech distance delivery methods, or expand their programme's capacity and outreach. Start-ups will need to smooth out pedagogical, technical and administrative kinks.
And where does one begin? Distance learning options now encompass the education spectrum, with course offerings from basic literacy to legislative drafting. The medium for the message varies from humble radio transmissions, in conjunction with print and other visual aids, to sophisticated 3D-modelling programmes for online courses. Those given the challenge of developing, teaching or administering a distance programme are often conventionally-trained academic practitioners and administrators with their hearts in the right place, but with little direct experience in distance delivery and practice. These educators, trainers and managers initially need an idea of the "what" and "how" of distance learning, without having to invest a lot of time or money in too much detail at too early a stage.
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| Six new titles are now available: online learning, community radio, costing, audio/audioconferencing, video/videoconferencing and telecentres |
Instead of trying to assimilate the large body of distance education material available in short order, you could pick up a copy (or two or three) of COL's Knowledge Series. The expert-authored, ongoing series is a succinct, topic-by-topic overview of distance education theory and practice. With a reader-friendly approach, Knowledge Series titles are limited to six pages each, with print versions presented in a foldout format.
First published in November 2000, the series has already profiled editing, support groups, instructional design, multimedia and managing for electronic networking. Each title includes a bibliography and a further reading list. About five guides, reflecting the most topical developments in distance learning, are published annually. The 2001 titles include online learning, community radio, costing, audio/audioconferencing, video/videoconferencing and telecentres.
The Knowledge Series is aimed at education professionals relatively new to distance education, with content just detailed enough for introductory use by and for trainers - whether educational, vocational or corporate. Single copies of Knowledge Series titles are available at no charge, with the proviso that the contents are used or reproduced for non-commercial purposes and with acknowledgement to the author and to COL. The titles are downloadable from the COL web site (www.col.org/knowledge) and can be ordered individually in print, or as a complete set on CD-ROM. The Knowledge Series is also generally available through COL-affiliated projects and institutions.
COL initiated the Knowledge Series in 1999. Topics are selected from a shortlist, revised annually, of the most frequent distance education-related queries COL receives. Although not created from a specifically expressed need, the Series is a response to COL's work in the field. Dave Wilson, COL Communications Manager, oversees the project together with an editor on contract to COL and an in-house graphic designer.
For the series' 2000 publication start, potential authors were identified in consultation with COL's on-staff education specialists. Authorship of the six 2001 titles resulted from a Commonwealth-wide call for submissions to education organisations networked with COL.
Hundreds of each title have been downloaded from the COL web site to date, a few thousand copies in total, and COL has received several favourable comments. Organisations that have requested print versions, or that have profiled the series as an item of note, include educational institutions, NGOs and e-publications throughout the world.
Further information about the Knowledge Series can be accessed on the COL web site at www.col.org/knowledge. You are also welcome to contact Grace Chin, Knowledge Series editor, at gcbc@axion.net . For print copies, please contact COL at info@col.org.
If you have visited COL's web site lately you would have noticed that it has been revamped with a new look and enhanced navigation and functionality.
This is the most substantial change since early 1993 when COL was one of the first organisations to launch a World Wide Web site on the Internet. The site contains new technological features that require some additional download time compared to the old site, but it still has relatively small file sizes to accommodate users throughout the world, recognising that the availability, reliability and size of bandwidth varies considerably across the globe.
Over the last few years, COL has significantly expanded its electronic publishing programme and has become recognised as one of the world's foremost sources of knowledge on open, distance and technology-mediated learning and its application in developing countries.
Accessed by experienced practitioners and novices alike, the site records thousands of visits per week and contains over 2000 pages of information and documents, along with hundreds of external links and online access to COL's Information Resource Centre collection catalogue.
The address is still www.col.org or you can go directly to one of the main areas on the site:
. News and features: www.col.org/news
. Programmes and services: www.col.org/programmes
. Knowledge resources: www.col.org/resources
. About COL and the Commonwealth: www.col.org/about
In addition, COL has produced a CD-ROM, Expanding Learning Horizons, that contains COL's most popular knowledge resources and recent publications and reports, along with a video on COL and its work. COL also issues regular electronic (e-mail) bulletins.
To receive a copy of the CD-ROM, or to be added to our electronic distribution list, please send your request to info@col.org. Comments and questions are always welcome.
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