The Commonwealth of Learning

Your Royal Highness The Crown Prince, Pengiran Muda Haji Al-Muhtahdee Billah,
Your Highness,
Honourable Ministers of Education and the Permanent Secretary of Education for Brunei,
Vice-Chancellor of the University,
Your Excellencies,
Distinguished Guests,
Ladies and Gentlemen

We, the members of the Commonwealth, belong to a unique association, united by a common tradition and shared values, possessed of a unifying language combined with respect for cultural diversity, and fortified by the friendship of countless individuals. The true wealth of the Commonwealth is the people of the Commonwealth, and no one represents that better than our Secretary General, Chief Emeka Anyaoku.

For that reason, we were absolutely delighted that he agreed to provide the Forum's Inaugural Address today. His support for COL and human resource development throughout the Commonwealth has been invaluable.

After 10 years of remarkable leadership, he will step down next year as Secretary-General and we will all be the poorer for that, just as we are grateful of his countless contributions to the well-being and advancement of the Commonwealth.

THE COMMONWEALTH IN THE NEW INFORMATION AGE

Honourable Ministers, Your Excellencies, Distinguished Guests, Ladies and Gentlemen

On behalf of the Commonwealth family, let me first congratulate the Chairman, President, and staff of the Commonwealth of Learning on this milestone anniversary. I would also like to extend our sincere appreciation to the Government of Brunei for being such excellent hosts.

It is particularly pleasing to be here in Brunei whose government has given steadfast support to COL, as we celebrate the 10^th anniversary of the institution. I must confess to some mixed feelings about this anniversary. On the one hand it seems only yesterday that the Commonwealth took the bold step of establishing COL; yet I find it difficult to believe that the institution has been with us only for a mere ten years, such has been its impact in the Commonwealth and beyond.

There could be no greater testimony to COL’s achievements than the impressive array of eminent persons, noted academics and leaders in the field of information technology, who have joined us today at this celebratory forum. The Commonwealth Secretariat is of course well represented here, and I am delighted to inform you that our new Deputy Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs, Dame Veronica Sutherland, has been able to accompany me here. She succeeds Sir Humphrey Maud who was closely associated with COL matters on my behalf for a long time, up to his recent retirement.

This should be a significant occasion for all of us, as we ponder what lies ahead in the 21^st century. As we embark on this open learning forum, let me invite you to explore briefly with me how far we have come and where we are heading in the new information age. I shall try to distinguish between information and knowledge, and attempt to discuss how we have overcome communication barriers over the years. I will also make a number of important contentions that I trust will not be too controversial for you to consider during your deliberations at this forum. Most importantly though, I intend to highlight the critical role that COL can play as a Commonwealth organisation in the new information age.

Since language is the main symbolic expression of our thoughts and emotions, the spoken word has always been at the centre of information and communication for us as social beings. At its minimum, the face-to-face transaction of language use is the basic means of information transfer, as well as of imparting knowledge. This is not simply historical, for that which was so powerful in Aristotle’s day is still highly valued today, as can be seen from the premium placed on seminars and tutorials in most of our educational institutions.

Indeed, despite three highly successful virtual debates organised on COL’s web site as a precursor to this forum, few of us would doubt the greater significance of the face-to-face transaction we are now engaged in at the forum itself. No doubt today’s gatherings are somewhat larger than Aristotle could have imagined, and he certainly would have had difficulties with the concept of a virtual on-line debate! The primacy of the spoken word endures nevertheless.

However, the spoken word has its limitations and human civilisation over the years has progressed in direct proportion to our ability to overcome these limits. In this regard the quest has always been to overcome the challenge of distance and to deal with the problems of accessibility and preservation. I am no expert in these matters, Mr Chairman, but permit me to suggest that this quest has been pursued through three main thrusts.

First, we have tried to augment natural language with forms of coding and symbolism that take us beyond the physical limits of voice projection. The successes of this thrust include talking drums, smoke signals, telegraphy and, most importantly, the invention of writing.

Second, we have sought to amplify and transform natural voice projection in a manner that helps to reinforce the face-to-face transaction of language use. Success stories include megaphones, radio, telephone and television.

Finally, we have also tried to overcome the temporal limits and transient nature of the spoken word through forms of storage such as writing, printing, audio and audio-visual recordings as well as electro-magnetic and digital recordings.

All of these, Mr Chairman, are really what we might call primary transformations, which have helped to advance our civilisation as social beings. It is in the combination and inter-connectivity of these thrusts that we have come to witness a truly awesome quantum leap in the rate at which information can be processed and the speed with which we can now communicate in a global community without borders.

Central to this phenomenon of course is the now-ubiquitous computer, of which the less said by a novice like myself the better. What I would like to do instead is to pause for thought about the content, or essence of these wonderful communication tools. Is it about entertainment, information, education, or all three? Few can doubt that there is entertainment involved, despite controversy and reservations about some of the material passing under that description. Similarly, there can be little doubt that these tools have brought us the surfeit of information flow that now characterises modern society. But does it all add up to knowledge and education? Not quite! Although these new information and communication tools can play a major role in promoting knowledge or enhancing education, this cannot be taken for granted. Just as strings of words do not constitute language, so bytes of information do not add up to knowledge.

This brings me to the first contention that 1 propose to leave with you for further deliberation. While the information explosion we have witnessed this century is truly phenomenal, there is a disturbing asymmetry between the growth of information and its rate of consolidation into worthwhile knowledge. Do we therefore run the risk of being mesmerised by a world of information overload, whilst the critical challenges of our generation remain unanswered or poorly understood? Will millions of citizens be better entertained and more informed whilst remaining largely ignorant and powerless to deal with the forces that shape their lives as social beings?

Central to these sorts of questions is the fact that information only becomes knowledge when it is processed and utilised in a manner that influences the ways in which we perceive and act on our world. Similarly, learning does not take place simply through exposure to information. The eminent Australian educator Professor Skilbeck pointed out at the last Commonwealth Education Ministers Conference, in Botswana in 1997, that what goes on in even the poorest of our classrooms is infinitely more complex than what a computer can achieve. In the end we have to promote "1earning how to learn" before our new technologies and the wealth of information we are constantly amassing can become useful as meaningful knowledge for empowering people and transforming societies.

My second contention stems directly from the social relations that are being fostered by these new information communication technologies. Information and knowledge are now the most powerful currencies of global transactions and the engines that drive the development process forward in this age. It is therefore rather disturbing to note that the exponential growth in knowledge and information, together with the new technologies that drive them, remain dangerously disconnected from our systems of democracy and accountability.

This raises issues of power, control, equity and social justice within and across societies. On the one hand the liberating power of these new technologies promises greater choice and increased freedom for individuals and whole communities, in terms of access to information and knowledge. On the other hand, the inequities in access to, and control of, these technologies threaten a new form of poverty for individuals and communities that could result in greater marginalisation of the poor. This threat can only diminish to the extent that we can successfully harness these technologies to our efforts to reform governments, reconstruct local communities, and restructure national economies in line with principles of integration, compassion and social justice.

It is now generally accepted that the new information age will inevitably be anchored in a new global culture that is inexorably being thrust upon us. There is an emerging pseudo-language that is universally understood in terms of its characteristic hype, sound bites and global metaphors. As with language, so it is with products and services. There is a convergence of expectations shaped by the powerful forces of advertising and entertainment. Because of these developments, there is a desperate need to create linkages between this universal culture and national/local cultures in various societies. If this is not pursued, we risk exacerbating the socio-cultural and political problems that continue to divide societies and communities, for the emerging world culture has its roots and sustenance primarily in Western culture. This in fact is my third contention. It is in effect a plea for cultural pluralism which would have its expression in an emerging world culture, in which people everywhere would make a contribution and feel a part. We in the Commonwealth have a long tradition of nurturing the strengths that emanate from our cultural diversity, and therefore have a lot to offer the new world culture.

My fourth; contention is that we need to develop new ways of returning information and knowledge to their ultimate roots in a common human understanding and the shared way of life that defines us as human beings. This, in my opinion, is what we are doing with efforts to improve voice recognition technology and teleconferencing in the new information age. More than anything else, our common humanity is rooted in our language, its scope and infinite potential, as well as its fundamental limitations.

As human beings, there is a common denominator underlying what makes sense to us, because of the mental and physiological features that we share as language users. This intelligibility is at the core of what counts as information and knowledge - or what, on the other hand, is mere garbage. This in fact is what makes it possible for us to understand other cultures and appreciate their beliefs as well as recognise the meanings they attribute to events, activities and expressions. It would seem that all the major developments in information and communication technologies are now leading us to remove obstacles to talking directly with others across physical as well as cultural divides. Technology can therefore become a truly empowering tool rather than a complex imposition that dominates our lives or divides people from each other.

My final contention concerns what I believe should be the Commonwealth’s response to the new information age. Our member countries have already gone some way in defining this at various occasions. It was very clear from the last Education Ministers’ Conference, for instance, that we should take full advantage of the opportunities that these new technologies offer. In fact, quite specific mandates were given to both COL and the Commonwealth Secretariat’s Education Department on ways of helping member countries get on board and stay in tune with developments in the field. I am pleased to note that we are already taking concrete action on these matters, as with the recent formation of the Commonwealth Electronic Network for Schools and Education (CENSE) which COL now hosts.

The issue, however, is not simply that we should take advantage of opportunities offered by technology, but that we should do so without losing what is our greatest strength as an association. As a force for good in the modern world, the Commonwealth is anchored in a heritage of shared values, institutions and traditions that brings a sense of unity to its culturally diverse member states. It has a proven track record in such areas as conflict resolution, cultural exchange, the sharing of resources and ideas, and the promotion of democracy and good governance, amongst other things.

Evidently, exchange of information and knowledge has been at the heart of what has held the Commonwealth together for fifty years now. It is therefore imperative that we should above all use the new information and communication technologies to strengthen those attributes that are central to the philosophy and practices of the association. That is why I was very pleased to learn that our Education Ministers also supported the idea of promoting Commonwealth Studies at schools and universities. This would help us to deepen the intellectual foundation that sustains the Commonwealth, and to sensitise our young citizens to the enduring value and current relevance of the organisation.

Against this background, it is my contention that the Commonwealth should not strive to carve out a technological niche for itself in the new information age. We should not see COL as the transforming body through which we will stake a major claim in the field of information and communication technology. What we need is a bridgehead into the new information age. Over time such a bridgehead would enable us to influence the new information age by reinforcing those attributes that make the Commonwealth a force for good. Chairman, ladies and gentlemen, I submit that we already have such a bridgehead in COL.

In practice, this means that, through COL, we can hopefully learn to take full advantage of the opportunities that abound in the areas of distance education and open learning, whilst avoiding the pitfalls that can be so negative for all that the Commonwealth represents. Indeed, this is precisely what COL has been doing throughout its ten years of existence. By bringing the technical know-how of distance and open learning to bear on the programmes of member countries as well as on education projects of the Commonwealth Secretariat, COL has given us a very important entry into the new information age. Through such intervention activities, COL has contributed greatly to educational development in terms of:

• Reaching the "unreachable" by bringing programmes to communities deprived of access to knowledge and information.
• Providing for much greater flexibility in the way knowledge is made available to different groups in society.
• Making the best programmes available to all those who need access to them.

• Opening up new possibilities for packaging, disseminating, accessing, retrieving and utilising information and knowledge.
• Improving the linkages between institutions and their communities by using the culture spawned by the new technologies to break down communication barriers.
• Improving the level and quality of interaction between and within Commonwealth countries through more real-time exchanges of programmes and information.

So what does this imply for the COL agenda in the future? For one thing it does not mean simply more of the same. In addition to the excellent technical interventions, it is important for COL to take on the challenges inherent in the contentions I have listed earlier. This means for instance that when dealing with innovative projects like "virtual universities", COL should not stop at the efficient transmission of the best programmes from the developed countries to the developing countries. It should also ensure that academics in the developing countries have a major input into their own programmes, as well as making appropriate inputs into programmes of developed countries. This is the way of the Commonwealth. Sharing and ensuring participation by all.

Chairman, ladies and gentlemen, I believe I have raised enough provocative issues for one forum. These are matters that challenge us and require serious thought. My role has been the easy one of raising them at this forum - and the more difficult business is how we in the Commonwealth, and COL in particular, can rise to these challenges.

For that, we are going to need wisdom - the missing third element to my emphasis on information and knowledge, and surely the greatest of the three. Remember the warning of T. S. Eliot: "Where is the wisdom we have lost in knowledge? Where is the knowledge we have lost in information".

So let it be wisdom, above all, that informs your discussions over the next few days.

HE Chief Emeka Anyaoku
Commonwealth Secretary-General