HOSTING OF THE 2ND PAN-COMMONWEALTH FORUM ON OPEN LEARNING IN 2002
South Africa is privileged to co-host the 2nd Pan-Commonwealth Forum on distance and opening learning in 29 July - 02 August 2002.
We believe that the Forum will offer an opportunity for the Commonwealth Ministers and other role players in education to reflect on the important challenges facing governments throughout the world. The end of the 20th Century and the beginning of the 21 Century represents an important moment in the history of our nations, individually and collectively.
In South Africa, the last decade of the 20th Century will always be associated with the dawning of an era of a young democracy in our country, in the form of the first national democratic elections. Decades of struggle against colonial and apartheid rule culminated in a relatively peaceful transition to democracy.
In this decade South Africa is engaged in the massive national project - to breakdown the walls of apartheid and build the foundation to establish and promote a new system. As a new country South Africa, we are determined to build a new system that promises well being, respect and expression for all South Africans. It was this project that challenged us to rethink and build our nation from inside out - our economic policies, our political life, our system of education, our health, our concepts of justice, and our sense of identity. It was on that basis that transformation of the post-apartheid system of education has been framed by the need to rebuild the fibre of our nation in the context of our apartheid past and to address the emerging challenges of the global era.
In many ways the Forum will hopefully emphasise to the delegates the meaning and implications of globalisation for their countries. We consider globalisation to be both a historical process and a reflection of ideology. While the process of the internationalisation of economy and culture are arguably emerged in its most dramatic form at the beginning of the last century, education and training has a vital role to play in ensuring that equal opportunities are accessible to all people.
Our country is proud to host this important Forum and would like to believe that future generations of historians will look back on this Forum and judge our wisdom and foresight as we share experiences and chart our paths forward. We hope that the Forum will expand and challenge your horizon about education and training in our generations.
We are looking forward to welcoming and hosting you in our country. You are heartily welcome in our country and we wish you pleasant stay.
MESSAGESTHE MINISTER OF EDUCATION, SOUTH AFRICA
Developed and developing countries recognise alike the imperatives of a knowledge-driven global economy. It is therefore critical that the Second Pan-Commonwealth Forum on Open Learning takes place in a developing country, South Africa.
One of the legacies of apartheid is the huge divide between first and third world conditions in our country. This includes infrastructural inequalities and disparate levels of education. As we strive to emerge from our odious past, we aim to address the yawning gap between rich and poor in the electronic realm. My government is well aware that the key to this effective transformation rests with different approaches to teaching and learning. This, in particular, is valid for implementation of distance and open learning approaches. Within these approaches, we also cannot overlook the crucial role of information and communication technologies in education. If we are to close the gap between the haves and have nots, become a winning nation and make our dream of an African Renaissance a reality, we must explore innovative solutions.
I believe that the same holds true for all nations.
I am pleased to confirm that we are already fully committed to these approaches. We have much to learn from each other, and the synergies of our interaction bode well for our global village.
Against this backdrop, we are obviously immensely proud to be hosting the Second Pan-Commonwealth Forum and I appeal to all not to miss this important event. Let us take hands - public and private sector. Let us never forget that education is a key to global stability and prosperity.
Professor Kader Asmal, MP
Minister of Education
South Africa
THE ORGANISING COMMITTEE
The second Pan-Commonwealth Forum on Open Learning will follow in the tradition established by the first Forum held in Brunei in 1999, by continuing to offer the opportunity for Commonwealth citizens to share a range of experiences and interests relating to learning at all levels. Co-hosted by The Commonwealth of Learning, the South African Ministry of Education and The National Association of Distance Education Organisations in South Africa (NADEOSA) the forum will carry the theme, Open Learning: Transforming Education for Development, as its banner.
The success of the first Forum and the subsequent requests from delegates strongly supported the continuance of the Forum bi-annually. While open learning is relevant in all contexts, NADEOSA felt that the next Forum should be presented on the African continent to celebrate the African Renaissance. Technology is becoming increasingly powerful in open and distance learning, although wide divergences continue to exist between the haves and the have nots. In this regard the second Forum will once again provide an ideal platform for everybody involved in ODE to explore innovative ways to function within infrastructural constraints and to re-affirm emerging collaborations in open learning globally.
To this end the Commonwealth’s culture of co-operation is well placed to promote this collaboration and sharing of skills and resources to overcome barriers. The second Forum is being organised to build on the foundations laid at the first conference to provide all relevant stakeholders including students, practitioners across the entire spectrum of teaching and training, and all such policy makers to renew bonds or forge new links to achieve the Forum objectives and thereby to contribute to global progress.
The relevance and value of this second Forum will once again depend on the input of many delegates and participants who represent the rich diversity of Commonwealth communities. We hope that every Commonwealth country will be represented, and in particular that member countries on the African continent will use this opportunity to participate.
Dato' Professor Gajaraj Dhanarajan Tony Mays
President and CEO Chairman of the organising committee
The Commonwealth of Learning
