CHILD-FRIENDLY SCHOOLS
In partnership with UNICEF, COL is working to mainstream Child-Friendly Schools models and approaches into teacher education curricula and enhance the quality of education in schools. Efforts are focused on ten countries: Botswana, Lesotho, Malawi, Nigeria, Rwanda, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Swaziland, Trinidad & Tobago and Zambia.
Further information is on COL’s website where there will also be an exchange of ideas and experiences among the 10 countries participating in the UNICEF-COL CFS Project. Reports, training manuals and other materials developed by the partners will be freely available for download, use and adaptation. Resources such as UNICEF’s Child-Friendly Schools Manual are already available.
www.col.org/cfs
UNESCO-COL CHAIRS MEET IN CAPE TOWN
Meeting in South Africa were (L to R): Sir John Daniel (COL), Professor Upali Vidanapathirana (OUSL), Ms. Trudi van Wyk (COL), Professor Olugbemiro J. Jegede (NOUN), Professor Tolly S.A. Mbwette (OUT) and Ms. Stamenka Uvalić-Trumbić (UNESCO)
Leaders in open and distance learning (ODL), who serve as COL-UNESCO Chairs attended the Association of Commonwealth Universities (ACU) Conference of Executive Heads and the Open Educational Resources (OER) Workshop in Cape Town, South Africa in April. Among the issues discussed was the role of higher education in achieving the Millennium Development Goals. In the OER Workshop the following day, university leaders were alerted to the potential of OERs to expand quality higher education and examined policy issues relating to the use of OERs in universities (www.oerworkshop.weebly.com).
COL Chairs, many of whom are also jointly UNESCO Chairs, are leaders in education who promote ODL and ongoing partnerships. Attending the South Africa meetings were three of COL’s Chairs: Professor Upali Vidanapathirana, Vice Chancellor of the Open University of Sri Lanka (OUSL), Professor Olugbemiro J. Jegede, Vice Chancellor of the National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN) and Professor Tolly S.A. Mbwette, Vice Chancellor of the Open University of Tanzania (OUT). They met with COL President Sir John Daniel and Ms. Stamenka Uvalić-Trumbić, Chief, Section for Reform, Innovation and Quality Assurance, Division of Higher Education, UNESCO to discuss COL-UNESCO Chair activities, ODL research and technology-enhanced education.
The COL-UNESCO Chairs will submit their plan for the 2010-2011 period to COL and report back on progress made at their next meeting, at the Sixth Pan-Commonwealth Forum on Open Learning (PCF6) in November in India.
THE COMMONWEALTH CONVERSATION CONCLUDES
Hosted by the Royal Commonwealth Society, the biggest public consultation about the Commonwealth ever undertaken was completed with the publication of a report, “An Uncommon Association – A Wealth of Potential”. “While we have heard much to give us hope, we have also heard more than enough to give us grave cause for concern,” says the report.
Over eight months from July 2009 to March 2010, the Commonwealth Conversation gathered extensive input through activities including opinion polls in seven countries, nearly 45,000 visits to its website and social media pages from 189 countries, 87 events in 26 countries, extensive media coverage and 11 expert group meetings.
The whole Commonwealth family is faced with a choice: settle for the status quo or aim high, the final report concludes. The final report provides ten recommendations that set out a constructive way forward for the Commonwealth.
www.thecommonwealthconversation.org
COL BUILDS PARTNERSHIPS IN ASIA
COL and India’s National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC) have agreed to work together more closely to strengthen quality assurance in open and distance learning (ODL). COL President Sir John Daniel and Professor H.A. Ranganath, Director of NAAC, signed a Memorandum of Understanding at NAAC’s new campus adjoining the University of Bangalore in February. The two organisations agreed to collaborate on activities such as promoting the use of COL’s Teacher Education Quality Assurance Toolkit, compiling best practices in higher education and teacher education, quality benchmarking for dual mode higher education institutions and promoting staff exchanges between NAAC and other quality assurance agencies.
COL’s relationship with UNESCO grows closer with the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between COL’s regional agency, the Commonwealth Educational Media Centre for Asia (CEMCA), and UNESCO’s New Delhi Office. CEMCA and UNESCO will collaborate in higher, non-formal, and technical and vocational education as well as open schooling and teacher education, with the aim of accelerating the pace of educational reform in the region.