Former COL Board member, Her Honour, The Honourable Iona Campagnolo, P.C., C.M., O.B.C., was installed on 25 September 2001 as the 27th Lieutenant-Governor of the Canadian Province of British Columbia. Public service, advocacy, broadcast media and politics have shaped the career path of this third generation British Columbian. Her distinguished public service record includes being a federal cabinet minister appointed by former Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau. She succeeds The Honourable Garde B. Gardom, Q.C. Both current and past Lieutenant-Governors have been strong supporters of COL. www.ltgov.bc.ca
Sir John Vereker, Permanent Secretary of the British Department for International Development (and of its predecessor the Overseas Development Administration) since 1994, has been appointed Governor of Bermuda in succession to His Excellency Thorold Masefield. Sir John will take up his new appointment in February 2002.
Internationally distinguished author, Ms. Denise Chong, has been appointed Canada's representative to COL's Board of Governors. She was named by Canada's Minister of International Cooperation, The Honourable Maria Minna, who is responsible for the Canadian International Development Agency. As one of six major financial contributors, Canada has a seat on the Board.
The Chairman of the Board, also a Canadian and former York University president, Dr. H. Ian Macdonald, welcomed the appointment. "We are fortunate that Ms. Chong has agreed to the Government's request that she join COL's Board. Her experience and insights will ably represent Canada and assist COL in its efforts to help shape improvements in access to quality education and a better future for Commonwealth citizens.
Ms. Chong, a former senior economic adviser to Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau, has served in several advisory capacities to the federal Government. She is on an advisory committee to the Clerk of the Privy Council of Canada on modernising human resource management in the federal public service. She was also a member of the Perinbam Task Force on Participation of Visible Minorities in the Canadian public service and was an adviser on the federal Information Highway Advisory Council. Also an internationally published author, she is best known for her family memoir, The Concubine's Children. Her most recent book is The Girl in the Picture, about the napalm victim photographed during the Vietnam War.
Ms. Chong succeeds Ms. Tina Sartoretto, Registrar and Director of Student Affairs of Cambrian College in Ontario.
COL's host province, British Columbia, is also a major financial contributor and governmental supporter of COL. The Honourable Shirley Bond, Minister of Advanced Education has appointed
Mr. Gerry Armstrong, Deputy Minister of her Ministry, as the province's representative on COL's Board, following the promotion of former Board member and Assistant Deputy Minister, Ms. Robin Ciceri, to Deputy Minister for the Ministry of Human Resources.
Dr. Tara de Mel, former Secretary, Ministry of Education, Sri Lanka will join COL's Board in January 2001 as the representative for the Asian Region. Pehin Dato Abu Bakar Apong, Permanent Secretary (Professional and Higher Education), Ministry of Education, Brunei Darussalam, concludes his term as Asian Region representative at the end of 2001.
COL is grateful for the valuable contribution that members of the Board make in shaping its endeavours and records its particular appreciation to the retiring Board members. Board members serve without remuneration.
Dr. H. Ian Macdonald, O.C., Chairman of COL's Board of Governors, was awarded an Honorary D.Litt by Dr. B.R. Ambedkar Open University in Hyderabad, India, in November. In his convocation address, he stated: "Education must not be an end in itself. Rather, we, as educators and as university graduates, must be constantly aware of our mission to prove the questioner ... wrong. Education must become the source of a more peaceful, tolerant and humane world if the globe itself, let alone globalisation, is to survive." www.col.org/speeches
Professor Mohan B. Menon joined COL at the beginning of August 2001 as Education Specialist, Teacher Training, responsible for facilitating Commonwealth Governments and institutions in focussing on the use of open and distance education for professional development of teachers and other education personnel. Professor Menon, who has over 25 years of research, teaching and administrative experience, was Director of the Indira Gandhi National Open University School of Education from 1992 - 1996 and Chairman of India's National Open School from 1996 - 1999, after which he returned to his previous position at IGNOU. He has consulted in the areas of primary education, open schooling and open/distance teacher education for international agencies including UNDP, UNICEF and COL. www.col.org/mmenon
Mr. Paul West joined COL at the beginning of August 2001 as Education Specialist, Knowledge Management. From South Africa, his previous post at Technikon SA saw him setting up the African Digital Library, which serves users throughout the African continent who have Internet access. In his work there he also developed and implemented models for Information Communication Technology Centres. Mr. West will work on knowledge management issues, including harnessing the wealth of knowledge across the Commonwealth and to make it accessible to those who need it. www.col.org/pwest
Dr. Sanjaya Mishrajoined the Commonwealth Educational Media Centre for Asia in New Delhi, India, in July 2001 as Programme Officer. He specialises in information and communication technology applications for teaching and learning both at a distance and face-to-face. He was with one of Indira Gandhi National Open University's Regional Centres for three years before joining IGNOU's Staff Training and Research Institute of Distance Education (STRIDE) in 1996. At STRIDE he was responsible for the revision of the course on communication technology for distance education, which is part of the Post Graduate Diploma in Distance Education (PGDDE). He has also completed a World Bank Institute programme to become a Master Trainer on Improving Training Quality through Peer Learning and Distance Mentoring.
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Lewis Perinbam (right) receiving the Sir Edmund Hillary Foundation Humanitarian Award from Foundation Founder/President,
W. Zeke O'Connor
Mr. Lewis Perinbam, O.C., COL's Senior Adviser (External Relations), received the prestigious Sir Edmund Hillary Foundation Humanitarian Award in November 2001. The Award recognises a Canadian who has, personally or administratively, contributed significant service in the fields of health, education and nature conservation in the Himalayan Region of Nepal. Mr. Perinbam's dedicated service on behalf of the world's developing countries has been highlighted in particular by leadership and sensitivity to the impoverished people of Nepal. His leadership, planning and continuity of purpose have enabled the people to become more self-reliant in the areas of health, education and conservation. An Officer of the Order of Canada, Mr. Perinbam has had a distinguished career in the Canadian public service, in international organisations and in the private sector. He was Vice-President of the Canadian International Development Agency for 18 years.
The Sir Edmund Hillary Foundation provides increased medical services for the Khunde hospital and regional clinics in Nepal, as well as broadening the educational facilities for Sherpa children. The Foundation also promotes conservation through its reforestation programme in the Solu-Khumbu area.
In Mr. Perinbam's remarks on the presentation of the Award, he said:
"The Sir Edmund Hillary Foundation has become even more significant since September 11. The tragic events of that day have thrust our world into one of the most perilous periods in history. More importantly, they have made human security the central issue of our time. It has given new relevance and meaning to international development as a shield against the tyranny that terrorism manifests.
It reminds us that terrorism is rooted in the abject poverty that engulfs vast masses of the human family. It is the fertile soil that breeds the followers and collaborators of terrorism. Unless we mobilise all our resources and strength to fight the greatest war of all - the battle against global poverty - we shall be vulnerable to the destructive forces that poverty and injustice release.
"The challenge we face is to recognise that human security unites our world as no other event has done in human history. It is the new face of international development. Today the world's peoples are linked by a common danger and a common fate. Conventional approaches and attitudes cannot meet this new danger. This is where the non-governmental organisations such as The Sir Edmund Hillary Foundation come in. They provide the human edge to international development and in our common struggle against terrorism and in our efforts to build human security. They can fashion a new kind of global society, based, not in terms of those who give and those who receive, but on how we can share the bounty of this earth that Providence has entrusted to our care. We may not succeed in all that we set out to achieve but let not future generations say of us that our generation lacked the courage or the vision to have made the effort. Sir Edmund Hillary has demonstrated what one person can accomplish. His example is a continuing inspiration to us to play our part, individually and collectively, in meeting one of history's most formidable challenges - building peace and security out of the ravages of terrorism and hatred." www.col.org/speeches
Ms. Madeleine Woolley, Director, Adelaide Institute of TAFE, Australia, former COL Regional Adviser to the President and whose institution was the winner of 1999 COL Excellence in Distance Education Award recognising excellent distance education materials, was named the South Australia Community and Government Category winner in the annual Telstra Business Women's Awards programme. Adelaide Institute of TAFE is a vocational training centre with 21,000 students enrolled in part-time and full-time studies as well as flexible learning alternatives. The Institute has gained international recognition for excellence under her leadership and, earlier this year, became a UNESCO Centre for Excellence.
[Note: Ms. Woolley was Director of the Adelaide Institute of TAFE until late 2002.]
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course writer
and designer,
Ms. Maree Bentley and
Professor David Murphy |
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The training module Writing Effectively for UNHCR has won an ODLAA Award for Excellence in the Development and Delivery of Distance Education and Open Learning Programs issued by the Open and Distance Learning Association of Australia (ODLAA). Canberra-based course writer, Ms. Maree Bentley received the award in the "Programs in response to an international or cross-cultural need" category. Other development team members also received mention in the certificate: Course designer Professor David Murphy (Monash University, Melbourne*); editor Mr. Bill Potter; graphics designer Ms. Karen Tan;
and project leader Professor Gajaraj Dhanarajan and project manager
Ms. Angela Kwan, both of The Commonwealth of Learning.
The award citation from ODLAA reads in part: " Writing Effectively for UNHCR demonstrates a commitment to excellence that is amply reflected in the final product. The overall high quality represents the convergence of a range of attributes, the most notable of these being: an in-depth understanding of the target group and its needs; sound background research; and attention to the appropriateness of learning strategies and media."
Like many organisations, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) used traditional courses in effective writing. While effective, they were not accessible to all staff, particularly those in remote field offices. In late 1999 UNHCR's Staff Development Section took the initiative to see whether it could run an effective writing course through distance learning. UNHCR sought COL's experience and capabilities to develop the programme. "We could have bought an effective writing course off the shelf," says Julianne DiNenna who coordinated course development in UNHCR "but we felt that it was important to produce a course relevant to UNHCR staff which would also reflect our own cultural diversity as well as writing style, standards and formatting."
Since the course was launched in early 2001, 500 UNHCR staff in over 70 countries have enrolled. The course can accommodate 100 new students every three months. The UNHCR Staff Development Section now intends to develop other courses for its staff based on this successful model. "UNHCR, with its staff dispersed so widely in so many locations needs to develop more distance learning opportunities for its staff and this module establishes an excellent example of the democratisation of learning in our organisation." says Michael Alford, Chief of Staff Development in UNHCR.
"Well-designed distance learning programmes have the strength to address the training challenges of international humanitarian agencies by helping them to achieve more at less cost and widening training access for staff based in remote parts of the world," says Professor Gajaraj Dhanarajan, President and CEO of The Commonwealth of Learning. "COL is delighted to partner with UNHCR to help showcase what can be done with imagination and commitment to achieving the learning objectives."
* While Professor Murphy was at Monash University's Centre for Higher Education Development at the time of course development, he is now Acting Director of
the Centre for Research in Distance and Adult Learning (CRIDALA) at the
Open University of Hong Kong.
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