Commonwealth of LearningCHOGM26 · Talking points
A person in a face mask and a young man in an orange T-shirt work at a laptop beside a small Aptus server on a table, while women sit on the floor of a village hall behind them.

Learningto accelerate in partnership

Commonwealth of Learning November 2026

Strategic talking points for the
Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting
St John’s, Antigua and Barbuda

infocol.org doi.org/10.56059/11599/6156 · OASIS

CHOGM26 · 1–4 November 2026

The 15 talking points Shape the 2027+ Strategy Ask the talking points

Cover image: COL uses only real images of its recent work. Here a COL expert joins women in Machinjiri village, Malawi, in September 2025, with partner Concerned Youth Organisation (CYO), as COL’s APTUS frugal off-grid server delivers training to learners’ phones for hands-on skills.

Actions to accelerate

To support the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in St John’s, Antigua and Barbuda (CHOGM 2026) under the theme Accelerating Partnerships and Investment for a Prosperous Commonwealth, the Commonwealth of Learning proposes 15 talking points for consideration, with 12 concrete opportunities to act.

Building upon the mandate from Heads at CHOGM 2024 and the Gaborone Statement on Open Education from the 11th Pan-Commonwealth Forum (2025), COL continues to act and work with governments to seize these opportunities. As COL completes the Strategy 2021–2027 and readies for 2027+, we continue to listen and act.

Practical actions for systems to skills

Changing learning systems

03Talking point

Higher Education

Lifelong, open pathways for a young Commonwealth

Students in higher education80% vs 9%

gross enrolment ratio: about 80% in Western Europe and North America, but just 9% in sub-Saharan Africa

UNESCO IESALC (2026)

hdl.handle.net/11599/6159

Open →
04Talking point

C21 Teaching

Empowering teachers for digital-age learning

44 million

additional teachers needed for universal primary and secondary education by 2030

UNESCO & International Task Force on Teachers for Education 2030 (2024)

hdl.handle.net/11599/6160

Open →
05Talking point

Unlocking Credentials

Micro-credentials for quality, digital and lifelong learning

94%

of employers willing to offer higher starting salaries to graduates with micro-credentials

Coursera (2026) survey

hdl.handle.net/11599/6161

Open →

Create skills for livelihoods

07Talking point

Future Green Skills

Climate-smart livelihoods, starting with agriculture

NearlyUS$1 trillion

to global GDP by closing the gender gap in farm productivity and wages in agrifood systems

FAO (2023)

hdl.handle.net/11599/6163

Open →
08Talking point

Blue Economy Skills

Large ocean states need ocean-ready youth

About1.4 million km²

Seychelles’ exclusive economic zone: almost 3,000 times its land area

Government of Seychelles (n.d.)

hdl.handle.net/11599/6164

Open →
09Talking point

Orange Economy Skills

Turning creativity and culture into livelihoods

More than48 million

jobs worldwide in cultural and creative industries, almost half held by women

United Nations (n.d.), citing UNESCO data

hdl.handle.net/11599/6165

Open →

Transform and connect in synergy

Transform with technology

11Talking point

Sovereign AI

Data, languages and cultural heritage

NearlyHalf a trillion

dollars invested in AI infrastructure last year, but public investment in AI capacity for developing countries is “a rounding error”

United Nations (2026)

hdl.handle.net/11599/6167

Open →

Critical connectors

13Talking point

Climate Action

Resilient learning for resilient communities

At least171 million

students in 106 countries or territories had their schooling disrupted by climate shocks in 2025

UNICEF (2026)

hdl.handle.net/11599/6169

Open →

Places of impact

56 equal members.

On most maps, small states vanish. Here each Member Nation is one equal tile. Light them up to see the evidence which is cited from each Member Nation, by each strategic talking point.

From the newsroom

We are already moving

A sample of 48 stories from the Commonwealth of Learning news, each tagged to illustrate the strategic talking points it highlights. Dive into each on col.org.

#TechTrends graphic titled Developing digital public infrastructure for verifiable credentials

#TechTrends: Developing public infrastructure for verifiable credentials

Trinidad and Tobago's VerifyTT, built on the open-source Inji stack, verifies credentials in seconds, and NESC Technical Institute plans to adopt it for its micro-credentials.

“Credentials, including micro-credentials, are here to stay, and it is important to have mechanisms that allow all, including certificate-awarding institutions and employers, to verify these credentials, easily, quickly, and credibly.”

Unlocking Credentials
Woman farmer on a mobile phone inspecting cotton plants in a field

From AI to agriculture: Rethinking skills for the future

Building on Lifelong Learning for Farmers, COL is developing a three-pronged approach to agricultural green skilling and is exploring frugal, multilingual AI tools for learning.

“Looking ahead, COL is shaping its Future Skills interventions around a simple idea: helping member countries anticipate the skills their economies will need tomorrow and preparing youth, women, farmers and fishers for them today.”

Future Green Skills21st Century SkillsFrugal Educational AI
Five girls seated on red chairs outdoors, reading picture books

Ending child marriage takes all of us

After more than 10 years of work by COL and partners, three Child Marriage Restraint Bills passed in Pakistan, while COL's EWG project engages men and boys, community leaders and women's rights organisations.

“Over the past three years, EWG has reached more than 465,000 women and girls through awareness-raising activities on human rights, legal protections and personal agency.”

Empowering Women and Girls
Workshop participants at desks listen to a facilitator beside flip-chart notes

Why business models matter for ODL

COL's ODL business-model approach has supported Botswana Open University's College of Open Schooling, a proposed Open University of Ghana whose model was approved in June 2026, and Zambia's ZACODE.

“Following subsequent capacity-building workshops with implementing staff, the new model is now being rolled out in eight districts in Copperbelt Province and one district in North-Western Province.”

New Models for SchoolHigher Education
Facilitator presents a slide on pests at a Farmer Field School session in Dominica

Skills for a changing climate

COL helps small states build resilience through skills for the green, blue and orange economies: a Farmer Field School in Dominica, four blue economy MOOCs with the University of Seychelles, and micro-credentials with The University of the West Indies, Mona, that help educators engage learners through creative expression.

“More than 6,000 learners from over 70 countries enrolled in these courses”

Small State AdvantageFuture Green SkillsBlue Economy SkillsOrange Economy Skills
COL New Publication graphic showing the cover of Localisation of Open Educational Resources

Beyond translation: Making learning locally relevant

COL has published a Knowledge Series guide on localising open educational resources that highlights Indigenous knowledge and community languages, and cautions that AI-supported localisation needs ongoing human oversight.

“The guide also notes AI’s potential to support localisation, while cautioning that certain languages and knowledge systems are poorly represented in training data.”

Sovereign AISafe and Human Technology
Young men practising electrical wiring around a table during a training session

Responding to boys’ disengagement from education through flexible learning, skills, and support

Research on men in the Caribbean who succeeded in education against the odds informed a COL open school concept addressing boys’ disengagement, which COL plans to pilot in selected Caribbean Member States.

“The model proposes integrating academic education with vocational training, alongside community- and peer-based mentoring and innovative learning activities, leading to dual certification.”

New Models for School21st Century Skills
Banner for the WiSE Community of Practice webinar ‘Seeing science in our lives’, 25 September 2026

WiSE webinar: Seeing science in our lives

ITA and Science Fuse, in partnership with COL, organised a 25 September 2026 WiSE webinar on girls’ and young women’s interest in science, drawing on SSTR, an ITA–COL programme in peri-urban Lahore.

“The programme aims to translate young women’s strong aspirations to upskill, gain recognised certification and earn an income into tangible pathways to financial inclusion, entrepreneurship and sustainable livelihoods.”

Empowering Women and Girls21st Century Skills
Banner for COL’s free online course Introduction to Robotics for Teachers across the Commonwealth Caribbean

Teaching the future: A robotics course for Caribbean educators

COL’s free 12-week online Introduction to Robotics for Teachers, part of its Youth Robotics for Blue-Green Resilience and Prosperity Project, is designed to help Caribbean educators integrate robotics into teaching and learning.

“COL’s Introduction to Robotics course has reached its full capacity of 500 participants, and registration is now closed”

C21 TeachingBlue Economy Skills
Young people beside a solar-powered sensor monitoring prototype on a shoreline

A generation rising: Caribbean youth build a resilient future through robotics solutions across borders and blue waters

COL’s Youth Robotics for Blue-Green Resilience and Prosperity pilot has seven Caribbean youth robotics teams and a research, media and advocacy team, with selected participants to present at CHOGM in Antigua and Barbuda.

“The Robotics Design and Prototype stream consists of 49 young people aged 16 to 23 who will develop potential responses to challenges”

Blue Economy SkillsSmall State AdvantageC21 Teaching
VUSSC Voices webinar #12 banner, ‘Towards a climate smart future’, with presenters, chair and a solar-powered weather station

VUSSC Voices webinar #12: Towards a climate-smart future

Chaired by COL’s VUSSC Adviser Dr Schontal Moore, the online session scheduled for 23 September 2026 was to include a University of the West Indies Global Campus presentation on climate change education as democratic praxis.

“VUSSC Voices, a webinar series highlighting expert voices from COL’s Virtual University for Small States of the Commonwealth (VUSSC) network, returns with its 12th webinar on climate-smart futures.”

Climate ActionSmall State Advantage
Connections graphic with the headline and portraits of authors Masjaliza Hamzah and Maria Chin Abdullah

Why Asia’s STEM success story is significant yet incomplete

COL-supported research in Brunei Darussalam, India and Malaysia suggests that getting girls into classrooms and lecture halls has proven far easier than retaining women and enabling them to advance in STEM careers.

“Women account for less than 40 per cent of the STEM workforce in 12 of the 20 Asia-Pacific countries with available data”

Empowering Women and Girls
A woman and a man in a home garden with an irrigation pump and water tank

Seeds of resilience: Saroja’s journey into agricultural entrepreneurship and community mentorship

Through COL’s Global Affairs Canada-funded EWG project with Sri Lankan partner WDC, Saroja trained in sustainable agriculture and climate-smart farming, helping her build a home-garden business that recovered after Cyclone Ditwah.

“The garden now provides nearly 90 per cent of the food her family consumes, significantly reducing household food expenses while giving the family access to a more nutritious diet.”

Empowering Women and GirlsFuture Green SkillsClimate Action
Cover of the August 2026 issue of Connections (Vol 31, No 2) showing a group photo on building steps

Now live: The August issue of Connections explores expanded opportunities for the next generation

COL’s August issue of Connections covers youth innovation ahead of CHOGM 2026, the disengagement of boys and young men from education, pathways for women in science and technology, and livelihood-focused skills development.

“With young people representing more than 60 per cent of the Commonwealth’s population, this issue of Connections looks at the opportunities and barriers they face”

21st Century SkillsEmpowering Women and GirlsNew Models for School
Title graphic with a portrait of Danny Faure, Chair of COL’s Board of Governors and former President of Seychelles

Reimagining school leadership in Seychelles: Leading change in a complex educational landscape

In a keynote to Seychelles headteachers, COL Board Chair Danny Faure proposed open schooling to reach young people not well served, including NEETs, and highlighted COL-supported teacher digital professional development.

“A cascading capacity-building model trained 71 Master Trainers, who subsequently trained 554 teachers nationwide from 37 schools.”

C21 TeachingNew Models for SchoolSmall State Advantage
Participants in a group discussion around a table at a workshop

WiSE: COL’s new initiative championing women’s progress in STEM

WiSE, COL’s Women in STEM initiative, held its first international activity, a four-day Kuala Lumpur workshop with participants from six countries, where Malaysia’s Ministry of Higher Education announced dedicated research funding.

“Around the world, women make up only 35 per cent of STEM graduates and hold only about a quarter of jobs in science, engineering, and ICT.”

Empowering Women and Girls
COL International Youth Day 2026 graphic showing two smiling young women

From voice to action: Empowering Commonwealth youth to shape the future

COL has partnered with the Centre for Global Education on a global youth digital-skills survey to shape OER, and plans a Youth Robotics Innovation Challenge for the CHOGM 2026 Youth Forum.

“Representing more than 60 per cent of the population across Commonwealth Member States, young people have an important role in building stronger, fairer, and more resilient societies.”

Digital Skills for Youth21st Century SkillsBlue Economy Skills
Speaker with a microphone in front of a South African Department of Higher Education and Training banner

From AI literacy to action: South Africa charts a path forward for teacher education

At a national workshop on AI in teacher education convened by South Africa’s DHET with COL, participants developed a principle-based national policy and established a national task team to support implementation.

“MRTEQ is currently silent on AI and must mainstream AI literacy so that it becomes a core attribute of teacher education graduates.”

C21 TeachingFrugal Educational AISafe and Human Technology
COL graphic marking the International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples 2026

Honouring Indigenous knowledge in open education

On the International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples, COL calls for OER involving Indigenous knowledge to be co-designed with knowledge holders, and for Indigenous data sovereignty to guide AI tools and OER platforms.

“Indigenous data sovereignty should guide learning analytics, AI tools, and OER platforms.”

Sovereign AI
Connections graphic showing a presenter at a University of the West Indies, Cave Hill Campus lectern

Teacher education for a changing digital landscape: How the Eastern Caribbean is co-developing frameworks, policy, and practice for responsible AI use

COL is supporting The University of the West Indies, Cave Hill Campus, to co-develop regional AI guidance for teacher education with representatives from five Eastern Caribbean countries; an AI course for teachers will follow.

“developing three public goods: an AI curriculum framework, an AI policy, and an AI code of conduct”

C21 TeachingSafe and Human TechnologySmall State Advantage
Participants seated with laptops and notebooks during a workshop session

Open TVET and flexible skills systems: Lessons from Zambia

Zambia’s Open TVET Expo drew more than 80 policymakers, regulators and practitioners from 21 institutions, and COL presents Zambia’s aligned policy, regulation and blended competency-based training as a model for scaling Open TVET.

“With support from COL, the Technical Education, Vocational and Entrepreneurship Training Authority (TEVETA) in Zambia implemented national ODFL Standards in 2025, providing a framework for accrediting flexible and blended provision.”

Future Green Skills21st Century SkillsUnlocking Credentials
Frugal AI infographic on data ownership, economic resilience and local expertise

Frugal AI: Bringing Practical, Locally Governed AI Within Reach

COL’s Frugal AI reference architecture uses open-weights models where appropriate; properly designed, locally hosted AI can help institutions keep learner records within national or institutionally controlled systems, and COL’s AI-agent trials follow a Teacher-in-the-Loop approach.

“Institutions and agencies in Mauritius, Malaysia, Samoa and Vanuatu have formally engaged with COL’s Frugal AI work, and capacity building is under way with the Higher Education Commission of Mauritius.”

Frugal Educational AISovereign AISafe and Human Technology
Speaker with a microphone at a stakeholder meeting table

From short courses to lifelong learning pathways: Why micro-credentials need national frameworks

Sri Lanka is developing a national micro-credential framework with COL’s support, while COL’s Commonwealth Micro-credential Framework for Lifelong Learning guides policymakers and providers in building recognised, portable, quality-assured micro-credential systems.

“In April 2026, the Sri Lankan Cabinet approved an agreement between the Ministry of Education, Higher Education and Vocational Education and COL to develop and implement the national framework”

Unlocking CredentialsHigher Education
Group photo on a staircase beside the Antigua and Barbuda coat of arms

Teacher-leaders in Antigua and Barbuda build capacity in Open Educational Resources

A COL-supported train-the-trainer session prepared Antigua and Barbuda teacher-leaders to champion OER and an emerging national CPD platform, an experience COL says shows Small States how to embed OER in teacher development.

“25 teacher-leaders from the Ministry of Education, Sports and Creative Industries (MOESC) of Antigua and Barbuda came together in St John’s for a three-day COL-supported capacity-building session on OER”

C21 TeachingSmall State Advantage
Connections banner reading Teachers at the centre of AI, with teachers at workshop tables holding up coloured cards

Teacher-in-the-loop AI places educators at the centre of how artificial intelligence is designed, applied and validated in education

COL’s TiL-AI project in India saw 180 secondary mathematics teachers improve Generative AI use and act as co-designers, validators and quality filters of AI-generated resources, reinforcing that AI should augment, not replace, teacher expertise.

“Forty hours of TiL-AI training have been formally recognised toward the mandatory 50-hour annual teacher professional development requirement in India.”

C21 TeachingSafe and Human TechnologyFrugal Educational AI
Connections banner reading Bridging education and employment, with a group photo at a National Stakeholder Consultation in India

Bridging education and employment: Turning policy into practice through skills and inclusion

Through CEMCA, COL’s India work spans vocationalisation, ethical AI and inclusion, including TiL-AI professional development reaching 1,400 teachers and a programme to prepare 1,000 young women aged 18–35 for gig-economy work.

“COL is scaling its impact, reaching over 130,000 educators and supporting a pathway to vocationalise education for four million learners by 2030”

21st Century SkillsC21 TeachingEmpowering Women and Girls
Connections banner reading Voices of Small States, with a group photo and a map of the Caribbean

Caribbean Focal Points set priorities for skills and digital transformation

COL’s March 2026 Caribbean Focal Points Meeting in Kingston put teacher development at the top of regional priorities, drew interest in piloting innovative open schooling, and stressed collaboration among small states.

“Senior officials from 12 Caribbean Commonwealth countries, along with Malta, met to share their thoughts, work more closely together, and identify priorities for improving education and skills development”

Small State AdvantageC21 TeachingNew Models for School
COL Earth Day 2026 graphic on a green background

Greening education systems: The role of Open and Distance Learning in advancing climate action

In an Earth Day piece, COL’s Jako Olivier argues ODL can expand access while cutting emissions, citing COL’s call for a “New Green Learning Agenda” that equips learners with green skills.

“A recent systematic review of 17 studies found that ODL typically produces substantially lower emissions than campus-based education, with some landmark studies reporting reductions of more than 80 per cent.”

Climate ActionFuture Green Skills
Attendees of the Open University of Kenya Micro-credential Policy and Programme Development Workshop

Developing institutional micro-credentials for a future-ready Kenya

Partnering with COL, the Open University of Kenya hosted a February 2026 micro-credential policy and programme workshop, in an initiative that builds on COL's Commonwealth Micro-credential Framework for Lifelong Learning.

“Following the session, a group of academics from the education, science, and business schools at OUK further met to design and develop the institution‘s first set of micro-credentials.”

Unlocking CredentialsHigher Education
COL's panel session on stage at the India AI Impact Summit 2026 in New Delhi

Beyond the Classroom: Frugal AI in TVET as a roadmap in skills training

COL's Frugal AI approach lets TVET institutions adopt open-source, offline-capable, low-cost AI, and its Teacher-in-the-Loop AI project supports practitioners from India, Jamaica, Kenya, Ghana and Nigeria in curating training resources.

“the project curated more than 2,000 training resources for biology, mathematics, fashion design, and science laboratory technology, aligned with national occupational standards and curricula, in just three months”

Frugal Educational AI21st Century SkillsC21 Teaching
COL panel participants at the India AI Impact Summit 2026 in New Delhi

Gaborone to New Delhi Compact for AI in education launched at India AI Impact Summit

COL launched the Gaborone to New Delhi Compact on teacher-led, localised Frugal AI at the India AI Impact Summit 2026, and leaders from Fiji, India, Kenya and Mauritius endorsed the approach.

“More than a policy statement, the Compact provides a blueprint for “sovereign, private, and secure” AI that aligns with national regulatory frameworks and systematically builds domestic capability.”

Frugal Educational AISovereign AISafe and Human Technology
Connections “Our Commonwealth” banner with the article title beside a street of traditional balconies

Small states, big lessons: How Malta and 3CL advance ethical digital learning

Malta, one of 33 Commonwealth small states, hosts the Commonwealth Centre for Connected Learning (3CL), and initiatives launched there, such as a nation-state blockchain system for verifiable credentials, have often scaled beyond its shores.

“Such initiatives reflect 3CL’s belief that small states are not peripheral actors, but pivotal contributors to global EdTech and open learning ecosystems.”

Small State AdvantageUnlocking Credentials
Young trainees in Vanuatu hold up their certificates, beside a portrait of a young man in a red patterned shirt

Vanuatu: Youth empowerment through skilling

With COL’s partners V-Lab and Youth Challenge Vanuatu, 50 youths completed entrepreneurship training in the Ready for Business programme, among them a 26-year-old clothing business owner.

“he gained skills which would help provide more control over his finances, leverage online marketing, and wisely manage his time and customer relationships”

Orange Economy Skills

COL contributes to building education resilience in The Bahamas

COL gave The Bahamas Aptus off-grid learning devices pre-loaded with local curriculum content, plus tablets, for schools still grappling with hurricane Dorian's devastation, to help build education resilience.

“Professor Asha Kanwar symbolically handed over 30 Aptus devices and 300 tablets to The Honourable Jeffrey Lloyd, Minister of Education, The Bahamas”

Climate Action
Artisans and weavers sit on the floor of a training room while a facilitator presents beside a WhatsApp Business banner

Digital entrepreneurship for weavers in India during COVID-19

COL supported the Digital Empowerment Foundation to build the digital skills of 2,000 artisans and weavers from marginalised communities in India, from cataloguing and design platforms to digital payments and e-commerce.

“With dedicated online pages, they are now able to reach wider audiences and increase their sales, especially during the lockdown.”

Orange Economy Skills
Floodwater beside a building with torn, hanging roof sheeting after Tropical Cyclone Gita in Tonga

Aptus restores education in cyclone-hit Tonga

After Tropical Cyclone Gita damaged Tonga's power grid and school buildings, COL sent Aptus devices to help restore classroom teaching and, with its regional centre PACFOLD, trained local personnel to create learning materials.

“On April 10, COL deployed 25 Aptus devices and 250 high-quality tablet computers”

Climate ActionSmall State Advantage

Your 2027+ compass

You have 100 points. Where should COL lean?

As COL completes the Strategy 2021–2027 and readies for 2027+, we continue to listen and act. Spread 100 points across the 15 strategic talking points to see where your compass points, then keep a card of it or email your priorities to COL from your own email app.

The Commonwealth of Learning

Accelerating Commonwealth learning partnerships

Created by Commonwealth Heads of Government in 1987, COL is the Commonwealth’s intergovernmental organisation for learning innovation and sustainable development.

Year 5 of our 2021–2027 Strategy
Results to June 2026

121

national policies and strategies, with ministries in 37 Member Nations

11,000+

government officials trained in 42 Member Nations

233

institutional policies, in 170 institutions

59,000+

institutional staff trained

306,000+

enrolments in ‘credit-linked’ courses

1.4 million

learners trained for sustainable livelihoods

Learning is key

At CHOGM 2024 in Samoa, the Commonwealth of Learning (COL) asked the Commonwealth Heads of Government to raise the priority of learning innovation, to focus on digitalisation and to speak with a common voice on education (COL, 2024). Today it is important to show how partnership and investment in learning can turn that common voice into delivery.

Learning is the answer to many of the questions we now face in 2026. Investment in education is linked directly to social stability, productivity and peace, yet conventional education systems tend to replicate and reinforce inequalities, particularly in access.

The Commonwealth Heads of Government created COL in 1987, under a Memorandum of Understanding signed in 1988, to widen access to opportunities for learning, to lead thinking on open learning and innovation, and to start with disadvantage. COL works with ministries on policy, with institutions on quality and capacity, and directly with learners where it matters most, from its headquarters in Vancouver, Canada, and its centre in New Delhi, India, and through Focal Points nominated by Education Ministers in every Member Nation.

The need is clearer every day.

A more complex world calls for a quality leap in open, digital and distance learning, with blended and online provision, AI literacy, digital skills and flexible, recognised credentials, and for closing the long-standing gaps in access to technology and learning resources for the most disadvantaged.

Working in partnership with Commonwealth intergovernmental institutions, accredited organisations and sister international agencies, COL aims to respond with agility to strategic needs and to work directly to the strategy of Member Nations expressed through Ministry partnerships and guided by Country Focal Points.

COL leverages the expertise and experience of every Commonwealth partner to solve each single challenge to the benefit of all 56 Member Nations.

Working in synergy

Aligned with sister organisations

The Commonwealth of Learning works in synergy with sister organisations. These talking points align with the Commonwealth Secretariat strategic pillars (in blue) and the Commonwealth Foundation aligned focus areas (in italics).

All talking points presented here are driven by the requirements of Commonwealth Member Nations as expressed by Ministry of Education Focal Points and are aligned with sister intergovernmental and accredited partners.

Economiceconomic inclusion
01030506070809101415
Democraticfreedom of expression
02040609111214
Climateclimate and environment justice
07081315

Evidence to impact

From Apia, Samoa to St John’s, Antigua and Barbuda, via Gaborone, Botswana

President Duma Gideon Boko speaks at a lectern with microphones in front of a blue backdrop.
President Advocate Duma Gideon Boko opens PCF11, Gaborone, Botswana, September 2025.
More than twenty dignitaries stand in a line on stage beneath a PCF11 Gaborone Botswana banner reading “Innovative Open Education: Fostering Resilient Societies for Sustainable Economic Development”.
The President, Cabinet Members, eight Commonwealth ministers of education join the Commonwealth of Learning at the opening of PCF11, 2025.
  1. 1Apia, SamoaCHOGM 2024

    COL asked the Commonwealth Heads of Government to raise the priority of learning innovation, to focus on digitalisation and to speak with a common voice on education.

  2. 2Gaborone, BotswanaPCF11 · September 2025

    The 11th Pan-Commonwealth Forum brought together more than 400 participants from 48 countries; the Gaborone Statement on Open Education sets seven collective actions.

  3. 3St John’s, Antigua and BarbudaCHOGM26 · 1–4 November 2026

    15 talking points for consideration, with 12 concrete opportunities to act.

Evidence matters

Hosted by Botswana in Gaborone in September 2025, with the Ministry of Higher Education and Botswana Open University, the 11th Pan-Commonwealth Forum on Open Learning (PCF11) brought together more than 400 participants from 48 countries, with ministers and senior government officials in a dedicated Ministerial Track for Member Nation feedback and engagement (COL, 2025b). COL’s scholarly strength leverages evidence to act with clarity.

The Gaborone Statement on Open Education, building on the CHOGM 2024 Samoa Communiqué, sets seven collective actions for governments, institutions and partners. These ongoing actions are now carried through the 15 talking points presented here for CHOGM 2026.

Launching the open learning forum, His Excellency President Advocate Duma Gideon Boko stressed the importance of creativity and innovation in building a knowledge-based economy.

(COL, 2025a)

The Gaborone Statement

PCF11 collective actions (2025)One year on: one piece of evidence to highlight progress
  1. 1
    Equity with quality at scalefor girls and women, persons with disabilities, disengaged youth and marginalised communities

    EWG results in five countries; an open schooling proposition for the Caribbean.

  2. 2
    Skills for productive and resilient livesflexible, work-relevant learning, micro-credentials, TVET, and green and blue skills

    a ten-year Pacific partnership; research on Caribbean young men’s success; a business case for AI-assisted open resources in TVET.

  3. 3
    Ethical leverage of the digital dividendopen learning as digital public goods, with ethical, inclusive AI guardrails

    the Gaborone to New Delhi Compact and reference architecture; guidance on conversational agents in tertiary education.

  4. 4
    Teachers as skilled agents of changetechnology-enabled pathways into teaching and scalable professional development

    a co-creative mentoring model (Ghana); an ODL framework and Beyond Numbers (Africa); 1,500+ quality-assured, teacher-created resources through Teacher-in-the-Loop AI.

  5. 5
    Reimagine assessmentauthentic, competency-based assessment with robust QA

    Authentic Assessment in a Changing World (2026).

  6. 6
    Positive disruption in post-secondary educationtechnology-enabled TVET and higher education, open resources and trusted credentials.

    a micro-credential implementation and quality assurance guide; guides to localising open resources, including with AI (a, b, c).

  7. 7
    Crosscutting commitmentssmall states, climate, ocean, gender equality & youth

    Youth Robotics for Blue-Green Resilience; an inclusive teacher competency framework steered by the Maldives.

References

Take it with you

The strategic talking points, to share

The original PDF; a share card for every talking point, carrying its persistent link and a link and QR code back to its mini-site; and print cards of 4 × 5 inches, with COL’s QR code for the talking point on the back. Nothing here sends anything on your behalf.

The full PDFLearning to accelerate in partnership — Strategic talking points for CHOGM 2026 · 34 pages Print cards, all 15 talking pointsPDF · 30 pages: each card’s front, then its back, for double-sided printing · 4 × 5 in with 3 mm bleed
0121st Century SkillsShare card · PNGPrint card · PDF
02New Models for SchoolShare card · PNGPrint card · PDF
03Higher EducationShare card · PNGPrint card · PDF
04C21 TeachingShare card · PNGPrint card · PDF
05Unlocking CredentialsShare card · PNGPrint card · PDF
06Digital Skills for YouthShare card · PNGPrint card · PDF
07Future Green SkillsShare card · PNGPrint card · PDF
08Blue Economy SkillsShare card · PNGPrint card · PDF
09Orange Economy SkillsShare card · PNGPrint card · PDF
10Frugal Educational AIShare card · PNGPrint card · PDF
11Sovereign AIShare card · PNGPrint card · PDF
12Safe and Human TechnologyShare card · PNGPrint card · PDF
13Climate ActionShare card · PNGPrint card · PDF
14Empowering Women and GirlsShare card · PNGPrint card · PDF
15Small State AdvantageShare card · PNGPrint card · PDF

Interrogate these talking points

Ask the talking points

A working example of the Frugal Educational AI idea: the search runs entirely in your browser, with no cloud, no account and nothing sent anywhere. It finds and quotes passages from the talking points, with their page, and never makes anything up.