September 4, 1998

Commonwealth Secretary-General attends COL and CAPAM Conferences

Commonwealth Secretary-General Chief Emeka Anyaoku is in Vancouver, Canada attending the board and executive council meetings of COL (The Commonwealth of Learning), before flying to Malaysia to attend a conference on public administration organised by CAPAM (Commonwealth Association of Public Administration and Management) next week.

The COL Board, composed of government officials and experts in distance education and educational development and representing a cross-section of Commonwealth countries and regions, welcomed reports on the recent progress in COL's activities, finance and structures. COL's President and Chief Executive, Professor Gajaraj Dhanarajan of Malaysia, reported on the new programmes and new directions that COL is charting in distance education and open learning. Chief Anyaoku commented that COL could "reflect with satisfaction on its growth into a major international organisation that is helping to widen access to education and enhance its quality through distance learning by the effective use of information and communication technologies".

Looking forward to the first Pan-Commonwealth Forum on Open Learning, which COL is organising in collaboration with the Government of Brunei Darussalam in March 1999 to mark COL's 10th anniversary, Professor Dhanarajan said, "COL finds itself in a strong position, in a practical way, to support Commonwealth governments and their institutions to understand and apply learning technologies in all aspects of human development. The Forum in Brunei is expected to bring to everyone's attention the enormous opportunities that lie ahead for educators and trainers".

In Bangi, Malaysia, from 6 to 9 September 1998, the Secretary-General will also address a CAPAM Conference whose theme is The New Public Administration: Moving into the 21st Century. He will share the platform for the keynote address with the Prime Minister of Malaysia, Datuk Seri Dr Mahathir Mohamad.

The Conference will bring together close to 300 representatives of over 40 countries throughout the developing world with their counterparts from the developed countries and will include ministers, parliamentarians, cabinet secretaries, heads of civil services, and permanent secretaries.

It will focus particularly on the lessons being learned in public sector partnering with civil society and the private sector and managing change through information technology with a focus on improving the quality of service to the citizen. The expected outcomes of this meeting include an enhanced capacity to promote and manage change, to create new reform initiatives and to strengthen networks of individuals and institutions from which countries might draw for the continued exploration of alternative responses to global and local challenges.

One of the highlights of the Conference will be the CAPAM International Innovations Awards focusing on 'Service to the Public'. The Awards will be given to public sector agencies which had successfully introduced initiatives and innovations in the public service which combined change in the quality of service delivery with the provision of services to the highest level of citizen satisfaction and at a cost which provided value for money to the consumer.