PACIFIC EDUCATORS AND GOVERNMENT REPRESENTATIVES IN THE FIELDS OF AGRICULTURE AND EDUCATION AT THE ALAFUA CAMPUS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH PACIFIC IN JUNE 2007. THE COL-SPONSORED MEETING EXPLORED HOW TO OFFER THE UNIVERSITY'S AGRICULTURE DEGREE PROGRAMME THROUGH OPEN AND DISTANCE LEARNING.
AFRICA MR. JOSHUA MALLET (LEFT), COL EDUCATION SPECIALIST, LEARNING & LIVELIHOODS, MEETS WITH DR. MOHAMED IBN CHAMBAS, FIRST PRESIDENT OF THE COMMISSION FOR THE ECONOMIC COMMUNITY OF WEST AFRICAN STATES (ECOWAS) IN ABUJA, NIGERIA. ECOWAS IS A GROUP OF 15 COUNTRIES THAT PROMOTES REGIONAL CO-OPERATION AND INTEGRATION WITHIN WEST AFRICA. COL HAS A MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING WITH ECOWAS TO WORK TOGETHER IN DEVELOPING LIVELIHOOD SKILLS IN WEST AFRICA.
AFRICA: INCREASING AWARENESS OF ODL FINANCING
Executives from open schools and policy makers from eight countries gathered in Gaborone, Botswana in July for a week-long workshop focussed on the cost and financing of open and distance learning. Organised by COL, the purpose of the workshop was to increase understanding of open school finances by bringing together people who run the open schools and government officials who often make decisions about funding for these institutions.
The workshop initiated a valuable dialogue between the two groups, helping open school executives to appreciate the issues governments face and helping those in government to gain a better appreciation of the funding needs of open schools. This dialogue will continue through online discussions, and a document summarising issues from the workshop will be available online for a broader group of open school executives and policy makers. In addition to helping to build capacity in open schools, COL is working to gain government support and an appreciation of the need to provide funding.
AFRICA: PROMOTING TVET
More than 150 people attended the 1st African UNESCO-UNEVOC TVET Summit on "Access to and Inclusion in TVET in Africa Through New ICT-based Solutions", which was held in conjunction with the eLearning Africa conference in Nairobi in May. The day-long meeting was organised by the UNESCO-UNEVOC International Centre for Technical and Vocational Education and Training in partnership with COL, the UNESCO Regional Bureau for Education in Africa and the German Federal Institute for Vocational Education and Training.
The TVET Summit explored the use of digital learning for technical and vocational education and training (TVET). Experts in the field, policy makers, researchers and practitioners shared experiences and discussed strategies for promoting and sustaining information and communications technologies (ICTs) in TVET.
With labour market demands constantly changing, relevant TVET is considered to be central to the effort to foster sustainable development. As conventional education is unable to address the scope and scale of bringing TVET to millions of people, educators and governments are exploring the use of open and distance learning (ODL) supported by ICTs to provide the necessary education and training. COL is supporting a number of "Learning for Livelihoods" initiatives across the Commonwealth that employ eLearning for TVET.
The next UNESCO-UNEVOC TVET Summit at eLearning Africa 2008 in Accra, Ghana, will build on the outcomes of this year's Summit to further foster the development of ICTs and ODL in TVET. It will include several workshops and present the winners of an Africa-wide competition of TVET projects.
www.unevoc.unesco.org
www.col.org/learningforlivelihoods
eLEARNING AFRICA
More than 1,400 people took part in eLearning Africa, the 2nd International Conference on ICT for Development, Education and Training, in Nairobi, Kenya in May 2007. eLearning users, providers and experts from 88 countries spanning all continents took part in the conference, which featured more than 300 speakers.
eLearning Africa provided an excellent opportunity for networking and sharing experiences in the application of information and communications technologies (ICTs) throughout the learning cycle. Some of the major themes of the conference were:
- Bringing gender balance into eLearning programmes,
- Online learning opportunities for health professionals,
- Developing sustainable models of eLearning,
- Open educational resources, and
- Supporting learners in rural Africa.
The conference saw strong representation from African Ministries of Education, including the participation of ten Ministers of Education and dozens of high level educational administrators. African governments communicated their commitment to using ICTs as a development accelerator for their national educational reform initiatives.
eLearning Africa 2008 will take place from 28 to 30 May 2008 in Accra, Ghana in partnership with the Government of Ghana.
www.elearning-Africa.com
OPEN LEARNING IN ASIA
COL President Sir John Daniel provided the opening address at the 3rd International Conference on Open and Online Learning at the Universiti Sains Malaysia in June 2007. The use of Open Educational Resources for open and distance learning was a major theme of this international meeting. Sir John's speech, "Open Educational Resources: Help or Hindrance to Open Learning", addressed this important emerging issue.
www.col.org/speeches
ASIA: ENHANCING LEARNER SUPPORT
MRS. FRANCES FERREIRA, COL EDUCATION SPECIALIST, BASIC EDUCATION AND OPEN SCHOOLING, VISITS A GRADE 5 CLASS AT THE ALOR BHUBAN COMMUNITY LEARNING CENTRE IN DHAKA, BANGLADESH. WHEN THESE STUDENTS GRADUATE FROM THIS PRIMARY SCHOOL, THEY WILL BE READY FOR THE OPEN SCHOOL'S JUNIOR SECONDARY COURSES. ALREADY, MANY OF THESE CHILDREN ARE EMPLOYED; THEY WORK AFTER SCHOOL AND ON DAYS WHEN THERE IS NO SCHOOL.
COL sponsored a workshop to train tutors at the Open School of Bangladesh Open University (BOU). Twenty-five tutors took part in the workshop, which was led by Dr. Sushmita Mitra of India's National Institute of Open Schooling (NIOS).
This training will enhance learner support for the Open School's new Junior Secondary courses. BOU is working with local non-governmental organisations (NGOs) that provide primary education to many students in Bangladesh. Lacking a sufficient number of schools to provide Junior Secondary education, BOU is filling the gap. Course materials for Grade 6 were introduced earlier this year, and the tutors trained by Dr. Mitra will provide learner support for these students. A manual is also being produced so these tutors can train new tutors who subsequently join the programme.
COL is also providing BOU course writers with a training workshop this month to assist with development of materials for Grades 7 and 8. By facilitating the participation of experts from India, COL is encouraging South-South co-operation among Asia's open schools.
MR. A.K.M. RAHUL AMIN AKANDA, TREASURER OF BANGLADESH OPEN UNIVERSITY, AT THE OPENING OF THE TUTOR TRAINING WORKSHOP
PACIFIC: FREE LEARNING CONTENT
COL hosted a workshop in New Zealand to build capacity in the development of free content for learning and to launch Wiki Pasifika, a Pacific chapter of Free/Libre and Open Software for Education (FLOSS4Edu). Educators from nine Pacific Island nations attended the three-day meeting in Wellington, which was supported by the New Zealand Ministry of Education.
WikiEducator's FLOSS4Edu project strives to build a thriving community of teachers sharing knowledge to widen access to quality learning opportunities. This workshop helped build capacity and develop strategy so that the Pacific region can leverage the potential of relevant and accessible technologies in education. Participants learned how to develop free content on WikiEducator, which will enable them to train others in their home countries. Wiki Pasifika was also officially established, and plans were put in place to strengthen networks in the Pacific region.
www.WikiEducator.org/FLOSS4Edu
PARTICIPANTS AT THE FLOSS4EDU WORKSHOP IN NEW ZEALAND IN AUGUST
UPCOMING EVENTS
ODLAA 2007
Open and Distance Learning Association of Australia
11-14 November 2007, Christchurch, New Zealand
"Open and Distance Learning in the South Pacific Region - Cultures - Collaborations - Cognitions - Communities"
http://www.odlaa2007.info
CHOGM 2007
Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting
23-25 November 2007, Kampala, Uganda
"Transforming Commonwealth Societies to achieve Political, Economic and Human Development"
www.thecommonwealth.org/chogm
Fifth Pan-Commonwealth Forum on Open Learning
13-17 July 2008, University of London
"Access to Learning for Development"
www.col.org/pcf5