LIFELONG LEARNING FOR FARMERS IN SRI LANKA

COL's Lifelong Learning for Farmers programme has been launched in Sri Lanka. This follows the innovative initiative's success in two rural areas in South India over the past three years. The official launch of the programme, held in Hambantota in southern Sri Lanka in April 2007, was attended by the Honourable Chamal Rajapakse, Sri Lanka's Minister of Irrigation and Water Resources, several senior representatives from government, universities and financial institutions, and 35 rural farmers.

Lifelong Learning for Farmers is a response to a critical need: the wealth of information resulting from agricultural research and development often fails to travel the last mile to the villages of the developing world where it is most needed. While governments face challenges in funding adequate agricultural extension, globalisation is creating increasing competition for poor rural farmers.

Lifelong Learning for Farmers addresses these issues by empowering vulnerable rural women and their families to:

• gain knowledge, 
• create their own self-directed learning process, 
• organise themselves to solve problems with producing and marketing their products and food security, 
• improve their living conditions, and 
• increase their freedoms and independence from external charity.

The pilot phase of Lifelong Learner for Farmers in Sri Lanka is taking place in four villages. In Sri Lanka, as in India, the programme involves four key partners:

1. Farmers: Rural farmers form an association and create their own vision of development for their community.
2. A consortium of learning institutions: Several organisations and Ministries are taking a keen interest in introducing Lifelong Learning for Farmers in Sri Lanka. They include the Open University of Sri Lanka, the University of Colombo, Eastern University, the Export Development Board and the Irrigation Department. They are bringing together their expertise in disciplines related to agriculture, to serve as an information resource for farmers. 
3. Information and communications technologies kiosks: These ICT kiosks link the farmers to this consortium and also provide other useful information. In Sri Lanka, Vidhatha centres, equipped with computers, Internet and other facilities, are proposed for 300 villages. These centres could facilitate the transfer of information from scientific and research institutions to rural farmers.
4. Banks: Commercial banks are encouraged to provide loans to farmers who have increased their knowledge, capacity and productivity thanks to information from the consortium and ICT kiosks. In Sri Lanka, Rural Cooperative Bank is participating in the Lifelong Learning for Farmers programme.
   
   CAPTION: FARMERS ARE IMPROVING BANANA FARMING PRODUCTIVITY IN THE HAMBANTOTA REGION OF SRI LANKA

AGRICULTURAL CHALLENGES IN SRI LANKA

While Sri Lanka has been a model for other countries with its emphasis on human development, a high adult literacy rate, high primary and secondary education enrolments, high life expectancy rate and low population growth rate, the country faces developmental issues related to agriculture.

About 40 percent of Sri Lanka's population are poor or vulnerable to poverty.  Farmers cultivating small plots of land with few off-farm sources of family income account for a large share of the poor. Agricultural challenges include:

• Lack of knowledge in cultivation and in developing strong market linkages,
• Global competition,
• Micronutrient deficiency, and
• Mishandling of chemical pesticides and fertilizers.

ADDRESSING GENDER ISSUES

While agriculture is still the predominant form of employment for rural women in Sri Lanka, these women are seen as housewives, not as farmers. As a result, they receive little training or extension support. Without access to information, these women face limited economic opportunities. Lifelong Learning for Farmers has the potential to provide rural women with information and access to credit. With small, low-interest loans, women can engage in self-employment projects that generate income and improve livelihoods for families and entire communities.

Lifelong Learning for Farmers enables communities to move away from donor dependency towards a development process that is both sustainable and self-replicating. The programme is already demonstrating success in Sri Lanka. Farmers are learning to cultivate more profitable crops: one farmer in the Hambantota region saw his income rise by a factor of six when he switched from growing mixed vegetables to bananas. Local women are finding employment in a laboratory where banana plants are being produced using tissue culture technology.

After visiting Hambantota, where the programme has been introduced COL President Sir John Daniel commented, "I was inspired by the impact of Lifelong Learning for Farmers and by the quality and dedication of our Sri Lankan collaborators. Thanks to the programme, farmers are improving their livelihoods, and young local women are employed in skilled precision work in sterile laboratories right next to their village."

Lifelong Learning for Farmers is also being adapted and introduced in Jamaica, Kenya, Mauritius and Papua New Guinea.

CAPTION: YOUNG WOMEN DEVELOP BANANA PLANTS IN LABORATORIES IN RURAL SRI LANKA

 
LIFE SKILLS COURSES DEVELOPED FOR VIRTUAL UNIVERSITY 

Educators from 18 countries gathered at the University of the West Indies in St. Augustine, Trinidad & Tobago in June for a Virtual University for Small States of the Commonwealth (VUSSC) training workshop. Organised by COL in partnership with the Trinidad & Tobago Ministry of Science, Technology and Tertiary Education, this was the third VUSSC "boot camp". Over three weeks, the educators worked in teams to begin the creation of course materials and to learn a range of information and communications technologies (ICTs) skills that can be applied and taught to others in their home countries.

Using the COL-sponsored WikiEducator website, workshop participants focussed on developing course materials for Life Skills courses such as Communication, Money Management and Employability. The materials, along with others for which development began at each of the boot camps are being prepared for release as course modules (using COL's Instructional Design Template) and will be available through COL's website in multiple formats. This is free content: the learning materials carry the "Creative Commons BY-SA-3.0" license, which enables anyone to legally download the materials, customise them and use them, as long as they acknowledge the source. COL and the VUSSC member countries are encouraging other countries to follow their example of creating and sharing learning content as free and open educational resources.

Participants received USB memory devices with free portable software installed on them. Using these and almost any Windows PC, they are able to access their own programmes and carry their data with them. This "Virtual PC" concept helps to overcome the shortage of personally owned computers.

The fourth VUSSC training workshop, to be held in November 2007 in Samoa, will focus on developing course materials in the area of Disaster Management. By the end of 2007, 80 educators will have participated in VUSSC workshops. An important spin-off is substantial capacity building in ICTs and instructional design within the participating small states. After the workshops, participants continue to collaborate online, contribute to course development and share their new skills with colleagues.

COL is also working to create an agreed framework of quality assurance and unit standards to facilitate the transfer of courses and qualifications among countries. Existing structures and documents are now being assembled into a Transnational Qualifications Framework with the help of the South African Qualifications Authority.

VUSSC is helping 30 of the smallest countries in the world to build development capacity and strengthen economies through improved education. It is facilitated by COL with financial support from The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation and the Commonwealth Fund for Technical Co-operation. VUSSC continues to actively seek funds to support course development and future content development workshops for educators from other small states of the Commonwealth. Development agencies and others that are interested in pursuing this social investment opportunity are encouraged to contact Mr. Paul West, COL's Director of Knowledge Management and Information Technology, at pwest.
www.col.org/vussc

CAPTIONS: VUSSC WORKSHOP PARTICIPANTS IN TRINIDAD & TOBAGO
MS. RITA PORTILLO, PERMANENT SECRETARY, MINISTRY OF SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY AND TERTIARY EDUCATION, TRINIDAD & TOBAGO

BOOT CAMP REFLECTIONS

COL's immersion workshops for course development for VUSSC provide educators with a unique opportunity to learn valuable skills in an emerging field while creating close links with colleagues from around the world. After three weeks of intense learning, workshop participants return home as members of a "new Diaspora", in the words of Professor Alain Senteni who assisted the Ministry of Education of Mauritius in hosting the first boot camp. Some workshop "graduates" share their thoughts about the tremendous value of this experience.

Meeting people from so many different countries and working with them towards one aim has been a great learning experience. Small countries like ours all share in a common pool of problems and needs. Leveraging technology to overcome these is good, but doing it together is great!
Mr. Philip Serracino Inglott, Malta

A few months ago, I had not thought it would be possible for me to ever learn practical, hands-on-skills on learning content development and even start to think to offer some components of Institute of Distance Education programmes and courses online. Now it's definitely all possible. I'm confident that with this great VUSSC team and a team of more colleagues back home, we shall take up this collaborative task to new heights and in the process learn many new skills.
Ms. Nokuthula Shabalala, Swaziland

Having a relatively small group of people together for three weeks made it the most coherent Commonwealth group I've worked with - people had time to get to know each other... People learned not just technical skills, but different ways of looking at things, different styles of communication, respect and understanding for others.
Ms. Jenny Williams, New Zealand

 
COMMUNITY RADIO TAKES FLIGHT IN INDIA

COL PRESIDENT SIR JOHN DANIEL VISITS HOLY CROSS COLLEGE TIRUCHIRAPPALLI, ONE OF THE COMMUNITY RADIO STATIONS THAT IS BROADCASTING THE "SCIENCE FOR WOMEN" PROGRAMMES. SIR JOHN WENT TO A NEARBY URBAN SLUM WHERE THE RADIO BROADCASTS WERE PICKED UP BY MOBILE PHONES.

COL's regional agency, the Commonwealth Educational Media Centre for Asia (CEMCA), is helping 13 community radio stations in India to launch a year-long radio project titled "Science for Women". Various universities and institutes host and run the radio stations with support from CEMCA. The stations hope to attract 1,000 female listeners each, according to CEMCA Director, Dr. R, Sreedher.

"Science for Women" was conceived by Anna FM at Anna University as a pilot. Developed at the local level with support from CEMCA and the Government of India, the broadcasts help women living in resource-poor settings to use and profit from science in their everyday life. In collaboration with the Government of India's National Council for Science and Technology Communication, CEMCA is undertaking baseline studies and capacity building in the 13 radio stations that are airing these programmes.

CEMCA is helping to launch new community radio stations at Aditanar College, Tiruchendur; Sri Bhagwan Mahavir Jain College, Bangalore; the University of Agricultural Sciences, Dharwad; the University of Delhi; and Vardhman Mahaveer Open University, Kota. Aditanar College is the first licensed radio station in the beach area ravaged by the 2004 tsunami on the Bay of Bengal.

Community radio caters to the interests of a specific area by broadcasting material that has relevance to a local audience. In India, community radio is commonly non-profit and non-commercial. It is believed to have tremendous potential for social development and empowerment of the marginalised.

"Radio is not simply a tool for entertainment," explained CEMCA's Dr. Sreedher. "It is also a great tool for employment and a medium to develop solutions to local problems at the community level."

Many of the radio broadcasts involve interaction with listeners who call in from cell phones. This enables marginalised groups to express their views and have a voice. It is estimated that one in every two Indians will have a cell phone by 2010, opening up many opportunities for learning for development. During his visit to Tiruchirappalli COL President Sir John Daniel remarked, "I gained a new insight into the role of technology in embedding democracy. The combination of cell phones and community radio can give even the most disadvantaged people access to the media. This is tremendously powerful for fostering the Commonwealth values of peace, equality, democracy and good governance."

The Government of India has commissioned CEMCA to organise regional consultations to create awareness, popularise the concept of community radio and help educational institutions and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) to use community radio. India's ambitious target is 5,000 such radio stations. Dr. Sreedher has also been appointed to the Government's Screening Committee that will review the increasing number of community radio station license applications from NGOs and civil society organisations.

 

TACKLING HEALTH CHALLENGES WITH MASS MEDIA

A CAMERA PERSON TRAINED BY COLME SHOOTS A TECHNICAL/VOCATIONAL TEACHING VIDEO IN TUVALU

COL's Media Empowerment (COLME) programme continues to empower groups in developing countries to use low-cost media applications to increase awareness and address health problems such as HIV/AIDS. COLME recently set up a media unit in Papua New Guinea in partnership with a local non-governmental organisation (NGO), Anglicare STOPAIDS. COLME provided video equipment, an editing studio and training in video production, enabling Anglicare to make videos of a drama production that encourages HIV/AIDS testing and counselling. COLME also provided a screen, projector and gas generator so that the video can be shown at village cinema events throughout the country.

In Malawi, COLME has set up a similar media unit in partnership with MACRO and the local World Health Organization country office. MACRO works specifically on HIV/AIDS prevention, stigma and testing. The media unit will produce videos that will also reach rural areas via village cinema events.

COLME has also partnered this year with the Ministry of Education in the South Pacific island state of Tuvalu to establish a media production centre. Having gained video production equipment and training from COLME, the Ministry is now able to produce radio or video programmes that teach students about issues such as global warming and provide associated training for teachers.

 

NEW RAJIV GANDHI FELLOWSHIP SCHEME SCHOLARSHIPS

CAPTION: TUTORS AND FELLOWSHIP SCHEME STUDENTS FROM NIGERIA AT A CONTENT WORKSHOP

COL is offering up to 25 new scholarships to Commonwealth citizens under its Rajiv Gandhi Fellowship Scheme (RGFS). The programme covers tuition fees for the Master of Arts in Distance Education degree, which is offered at a distance by Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU).

COL invites applications from universities in developing countries of the Commonwealth that are prepared to represent and administer the RGFS scholarships. Up to two universities representing two separate regions will be selected for this purpose. Successful universities will act as RGFS "regional institutions", accepting and granting applications from staff and individuals in neighbouring institutions. These regional institutions must also provide adequate learner support for students enrolled in the RGFS. COL will provide the funds needed to administer the programme, which includes liaising directly with IGNOU on all matters.

Preference for scholarships are given to faculty members seeking professional development in open and distance learning, particularly those with conventional teaching experience who are teaching students learning by distance or who will be teaching via distance methods.

Interested universities should send an application to Ms. Ruvani Ameresekere at info outlining their interest and how they would be organised to run the scholarship.

 

QUALITY ASSURANCE AUDITS

COL EDUCATION SPECIALIST DR. WILLIE CLARKE-OKAH (FAR RIGHT) WITH TWO OF THE UNISA AUDIT PANEL MEMBERS, PROFESSOR OLUGBEMIRO JEGEDE, VICE CHANCELLOR OF THE NATIONAL OPEN UNIVERSITY OF NIGERIA (LEFT) AND PROFESSOR BERNARD KING, VICE CHANCELLOR OF THE UNIVERSITY OF ABERTAY DUNDEE
 

COL is enhancing quality assurance in higher education by conducting invitational audits of open and distance learning (ODL) institutions. Working with experts in the field, COL recently completed a Quality Assurance audit of the University of South Africa (UNISA) and a wide ranging review of the University of Ghana. The trial audit for UNISA, completed in June 2007, was aimed at helping South Africa's biggest open university prepare for an audit by the Higher Education Quality Committee (HEQC) of the South African Council on Higher Education in 2008. Following interviews with more than 400 staff members, the trial audit provided comprehensive advice and suggestions that will help the university improve quality assurance practices.

The University of Ghana visitation, also conducted by a panel of local and international experts, led by COL President Sir John Daniel, concluded in August 2007. In addition to conducting the usual interviews during two site visits, the panel introduced a self-assessment process for all units in the university. The panel's report will help the University of Ghana improve its quality practices and introduce reforms that will help it meet the challenges of the 21st century.

 

SUPPORTING AGRICULTURAL EDUCATION IN AFRICA

COL is working with one of Africa's largest agricultural research bodies to expand technology-mediated open and distance learning (ODL) for agricultural education in Sub-Saharan Africa. The Forum for Agricultural Research in Africa (FARA) is a large umbrella organisation for groups involved in agriculture and development in Africa. In addition to co-ordinating agricultural research activities in Africa, FARA is increasingly involved in agricultural education, extension and development.

COL recently commissioned a report that outlines eight country case studies about the use of ODL for improving livelihoods through agriculture. The countries included were Cameroon, Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia. The report focuses on the urgent need to use information and communications technologies (ICTs) to provide education, training, information and communication about agriculture. The report also identifies opportunities for COL to partner with FARA to enhance agricultural education and improve livelihoods.
www.fara-africa.org

 

FREE HANDOUT MATERIALS FOR TEACHERS

The COL-sponsored WikiEducator website is spearheading a project to create a library of free learning materials for teachers. Handouts4Teachers is promoting the collaborative development of handouts used to support classroom teaching. This could include worksheets, small group projects and homework assignments that help students master new concepts.

Teachers will be able to access and download the handouts at no cost on WikiEducator. They will be free to modify the handouts to suit the needs of their students. The handouts will be a valuable resource that could save teachers considerable time and money.

WikiEducators have begun a listing of free classroom handout projects. After providing examples of good handouts, the next step will be to encourage educators to collaborate on more handouts for all grades and all subject areas. The plan is to expand this project into developing free textbooks. Teachers wanting to improve their wiki authoring skills in order to contribute to the initiative are encouraged to use the WikiEducator tutorials available on the site ( www.wikieducator.org/Help:Contents).

The Free Textbooks project, which is still in its early phase, is a partnership between FreeCulture.org (an international student organisation), the Open Knowledge Foundation and WikiEducator.

http://freeculture.org
www.okfn.org

 

COL'S EXECUTIVE DEGREES PROGRAMME EXPANDS

The Commonwealth Executive Master of Business Administration and Public Administration (CEMBA/CEMPA) programmes are now being offered by three more universities in developing Commonwealth nations. The University College of the Caribbean (Jamaica), the University of Guyana and the University of Papua New Guinea have recently signed agreements to receive COL's license to offer its executive degree programmes.

Designed for senior and middle managers working in developing Commonwealth countries, the courses are delivered through open and distance learning. The CEMBA/CEMPA programmes help developing nations meet the need for professionals who can contribute to economic growth and good governance.

The CEMBA/CEMPA degrees and diplomas are granted by the licensee partner universities. This consortium also includes universities in Bangladesh, Ghana, India, Malaysia, Nigeria, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. There have been more than 13,000 CEMBA/CEMPA course enrolments since the programmes were launched in 2002.
www.col.org/cemba