Ninth Pan-Commonwealth Forum on Open Learning (PCF9)

The Ninth Pan-Commonwealth Forum (PCF9) on Open Learning was held in Edinburgh, Scotland, United Kingdom from 9-12 September 2019 in partnership with The Open University, United Kingdom. The Forum brought together 541 policy makers, practitioners and thought leaders from 61 countries.

Forum partners from over 60 countries believe that it is possible to significantly accelerate progress towards the aim and targets of SDG4 by prioritising the collective actions noted in the Edinburgh Statement, proposed on September 12, 2019 at the Closing Ceremony of PCF9, BT Murraryfield Stadium, Edinburgh, UK.

Daily Newsletters: Day 1, Day 2, Day 3

Archived live-stream videos from PCF10 can be found on COL’s YouTube channel.

A summary of PCF9 appears in the November 2019 edition of COL’s newsletter, Connections.

Theme

Innovations for Quality Education and Lifelong Learning

Sub-themes:

  1. Employability
  2. Equity and Inclusion
  3. Opening up Education
  4. Technology

PAPERS & PRESENTATIONS

Presenters

Asa Briggs Lecture

Lord Puttnam of Queensgate, British film producer, educator, environmentalist and member of the House of Lords

Keynote Speakers

The Honourable Danny Faure, President of the Republic of Seychelles

Sugata Mitra, former Professor and Principal Research Investigator in the School of Education, Communication and Language Sciences at Newcastle University, UK

Marc Prensky, founder and Executive Director of The Global Future Education Foundation and Institute

Rose Luckin, Professor of Learner Centred Design at UCL Knowledge Lab

Honorary Fellows

  • Professor Abdalla Uba Adamu
  • Ms Anne Gaskell
  • Professor Datuk Dr Asma Ismail
  • Mr Kamaraj Keppanan
  • Professor Mandla Makhanya
  • Professor Nageshwar Rao
  • Professor Clement Sankat
  • Dr Linda Sissons

Winners of the Excellence in Distance Education Awards (2014-2016)

Award of Excellence for Institutional Achievement

  • Yashwantrao Chavan Maharashtra Open University, India

Award of Excellence for Open and Distance Education Materials

Category A: innovations in print, electronically delivered materials or other low-cost media materials, such as audio, video, or a combination of these.

  • Open University Malaysia, Malaysia

Category B: open educational resources (OER) – innovative creation and adaptation.

  • Athabasca University, Canada
  • Open Education Resource Foundation, New Zealand

Award of Excellence in a Distance or Online Learning Experience

  • Ms Sakshi Kumari, India
  • Mr Jima Ngei, Nigeria

Forum Sponsors and Partners

  • Association of Commonwealth Universities
  • Australia Government – Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade
  • Commonwealth Foundation
  • National Institute of Open Schooling (NIOS)
  • National University of Nigeria (NOUN)
  • New Zealand Foreign Affairs and Trade
  • Open Impact Conference
  • Open Polytechnic New Zealand
  • University of London
  • William and Flora Hewlett Foundation
  • Infosys
  • International Council for Open and Distance Education
  • UNESCO Institute for Lifelong Learning
  • UNESCO Institute for Information Technologies in Education