Pan-Commonwealth Forum on Open Learning - Durban in July
The second Pan-Commonwealth 
Forum on Open Learning will feature these keynote speakers:
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The Honourable Professor Kader Asmal, National Minister of Education, South Africa, will give the opening keynote;
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Mr. Stephen Lewis will deliver the Asa Briggs Lecture
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Sir John Daniel, Assistant Director-General for Education, UNESCO, and former Vice Chancellor of the U.K. Open University will speak on "Development as freedom: the contribution of the open universities";
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Mr. Gopal Rajagopalan, Managing Director, Infrastructure Leasing and Financial Services Limited, India, and former Managing Director, SchoolNet India Limited, will lead off discussion on "Overcoming barriers to access and success";
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Professor Munzali Jibril, Executive Secretary, National Universities Commission, Nigeria, will introduce the theme, "Overcoming the digital divide: innovative applications of technology in ODL";
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Professor Teboho Moja, Professor of Higher Education, New York University, and former Special Adviser to the South African Minister of Education and Executive Director of the National Commission on Higher Education, South Africa, will provide background for the session on "Open learning, the community and social development";
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Professor Gajaraj Dhanarajan, President and Chief Executive Officer, The Commonwealth of Learning; and
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Mr. Tony Mays, President of National Association of Distance Education Organisations of South Africa ( NADEOSA ).
The Forum will be held in July in Durban, South Africa, and will be on the theme, "Open Learning: Transforming Education for Development".
Organisers have accepted 225 parallel session abstracts from 280 submissions reflecting a cross-section of open and distance learning experience from Africa, Asia, the Pacific, the Caribbean, North America and Europe. These presentations and the resulting discussions will contribute to an exploration of the following sub-themes:
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Open learning, the world of work and economic development
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Education for all: Open and distance learning (ODL) and the global agenda on poverty alleviation
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Overcoming barriers to access and success
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Overcoming the digital divide: innovative applications of technology in ODL
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Open learning, the community and social development
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Making ODL work - its leadership, management and administration
Pre-Forum virtual conferences are underway. Moderators of the six monthly topics (from February to July) will present reports for further discussion in Durban on 28 July. The moderators represent six of the member associations of the Federation of Commonwealth Open and Distance Learning Associations (FOCODLA), co-organisers of the virtual conference series. Each of the two-week long discussions have attracted between 120 and 275 subscribers and between 100 and 300 postings. Subscription and participation in the virtual conferences is open to all and there is no cost. A web-based archive of discussions is available to subscribers. www.col.org/virtualconferences
The Pan-Commonwealth Forum will feature an awards banquet, where COL's Excellence in Distance Education Awards will be presented ( www.col.org/edea) and a book launch for the third volume in the World review of distance and open learning series, published jointly by COL and Routledge/Falmer Press: Teacher education through open and distance learning ( www.col.org/worldreview ).
An exhibition to showcase distance learning organisations and providers of courseware and educational technologies will also be featured at the Forum.
The Forum will be held at the International Convention Centre in Durban, from Monday, 29 July to Friday, 2 August 2002. It is being hosted by COL, NADEOSA and the South African Department of Education, in collaboration with the Commonwealth's open and distance learning professional associations.
Further information and registration procedures are available at http://colforum.mweb.co.za [ now archived at: www.col.org/pcf2 ] or by contacting Helene Du Toit at Event Dynamics: tel: +27 11 706 5010; fax: +27 11 463 7195; e-mail: helene@eventdynamics.co.za . To become an exhibitor, please contact Dee Reuvers at NichePro (Pty) Ltd: tel: +27 11 805 5940; fax: +27 11 805 5944; e-mail: deer@nichepro.co.za .
The Government of Canada will increase its annual contribution to The Commonwealth of Learning from CDN$1.1 million to $2.2 million.
In making the announcement, Canada's Minister for International Cooperation, The Honourable Susan E. Whelan, said that, "Canada's support for The Commonwealth of Learning will improve educational materials, expertise and technologies that are made available to developing countries. Making educational tools more accessible helps people around the world begin to build a better life for themselves, their families and their communities."
"Canada's increased contribution to improve access to education in the Commonwealth through COL is much valued and needed," said COL's President and Chief Executive Officer Professor Gajaraj Dhanarajan on receiving the news. "It is an expression of confidence in the agency and its ability to make valuable contributions to literacy and other human resource development priorities that world leaders have identified." He added that, "Open and distance education, together with communications technology tools, can provide access to learning for those, especially women and girls, who are beyond the reach of conventional education systems."
COL is funded on a voluntary basis by the 54-member Commonwealth and Canada is one of its major contributors.
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| Members of the Technical Advisory Committee for the Commonwealth Virtual University For Small States, from left to right: Vis Naidoo (COL staff), Usha Reddi (Director, Commonwealth Educational Media Centre for Asia), Goolam T.G. Mohamedbhai (Vice Chancellor, University of Mauritius), Andrea Hope (COL staff), Michael Gibbons (Secretary General, Association of Commonwealth Universities), Gajaraj Dhanarajan (President and Chief Executive Officer of COL and Chair of the Committee), Rajesh Chandra (Deputy Vice Chancellor, The University of the South Pacific), Dr. Glen Farrell (COL Senior Consultant and Secretary of the Committee), Henry Alamango, (Executive Director, Commonwealth Network of Information Technology for Development, COMNET-IT), Paul West (COL staff), Badri N. Koul (Director of Distance Education, Distance Education Centre, University of the West Indies, representing Lawrence Carrington, Pro-Vice Chancellor, Distance Education and Non-Campus Territories, UWI). Unable to attend Vancouver meeting: Donald Ekong (Vice Chancellor, University of The Gambia) and David Souter (Executive Director, Commonwealth Telecommunications Organisation). |
Experts meeting in Vancouver in April agreed on the merits of establishing a "virtual university" to serve the small states of the Commonwealth and recommended an operating structure that COL will take to Commonwealth Ministers of Education for their endorsement.
COL convened the meeting as a part of its process in responding to a request by Commonwealth Ministers of Education that it explore the creation of a virtual university to support higher education in small states.
At the end of four days of discussion, the group of educational leaders from small state regions and Commonwealth organisations concluded that there are several ways that a new virtual university could support the work of the institutions that are currently providing higher education in the small state regions of the Commonwealth.
The Technical Advisory Committee noted that there are three important functions that a consortium of existing higher education institutions, operating collaboratively as a "virtual university", could perform that would enhance their current capacity.
The first, deemed as "most critical" by the Committee, is to provide a vehicle for collaboration in the development and use of the emerging subject matter, databases and learning management systems. The Committee noted the absence of small state institutions in the membership of the many consortia that are involved in the development of content databases and concluded that, "without assistance, the small states will continue to be unable to participate in this development, which is expected to be the hallmark of virtual education in the future." The orientation and training of policy makers, institutional leaders and faculty was identified as essential related activities.
"Providing leadership in the planning and design of programmes, curricula and courses that are pertinent to the human resource development needs of the states involved," was the second function called for by the Committee. "While these programmes may be more urgent in the context of continuing professional education, award-bearing programmes at the certificate, diploma, degree and advanced degree levels should also be considered." The Committee members also expressed their view that the Commonwealth virtual university, should it be established, must consider out-sourcing virtual courses and programmes from a growing number of institutions worldwide. However, they also said that it must still be able to design and develop programmes of its own if it is to ensure that the unique needs of the small states are met.
The third function would involve the provision of "support services" to students, such as assessment of current skills and knowledge, advice about academic plans, quality-assured access to courses, record of learning and the provision of awards where these are not available from individual member institutions."
A survey and analysis of current practice was also conducted to assist with the discussions.
COL will present an initial report, including these recommendations, to a committee of Commonwealth education ministers later this year. If the ministers endorse the recommendations, the next phase will be for COL to prepare an implementation plan for presentation to Commonwealth education ministers at their next meeting in Edinburgh in September 2003.
Small states and small island developing nations account for 32 of the 54 Commonwealth members and are vulnerable to national disasters, weak economies and isolation. In their Halifax Statement on Education in the Commonwealth, issued at their last meeting in December 2000, Commonwealth Ministers of Education requested COL to pursue the establishment of a virtual university designed to serve small states.
"Responding quickly to changing and newly identified needs of the Commonwealth, is one of the main reasons that COL exists," said Professor Gajaraj Dhanarajan, the COL's President and Chief Executive Officer and chair of the Technical Advisory Committee. "As an instrument for collaboration, we are pleased to help with this initiative."