COL has been based in Vancouver, Canada, since being established in 1987 when the Canadian government offered to host the organisation in British Columbia. Canada is a major contributor to COL’s budget and a strong supporter of COL’s activities. As a major donor, Canada has a seat on COL’s Board of Governors. Canada is rich in resources for COL, and Canadian institutions often cooperate with COL to host visitors from the developing world and share experiences and expertise. 

School-age Population by Education Level1

2,325,778

 

2,358,559

Secondary

 

Tertiary

 

 

Gross Enrolment Ratio (GER) in Secondary Education
for the school year ending 20181

115%

 

114%

Female

 

Male

 

 

Gross Enrolment Ratio (GER) in Tertiary Education
for the school year ending 20181

81%

 

60%

Female

 

Male

 

 

Percentage of female teachers in 1

n/a

 

47.4%

Secondary

 

Tertiary (2016)

 

 

1. UNESCO Institute for Statistics Data Centre, retrieved in June 2021

Literacy rate (2003)1

99%

 

99%

Adult (15+) literacy rate
Female

 

Adult (15+) literacy rate
Male

 

 

Economic Activity (2014)1

64%

 

73%

Adult (15+) economic activity
Female

 

Adult (15+) economic activity
Male

 

 

Political Decision Making (2014)1

25%

Proportion of seats held by women in national parliament

 

 

Life expectancy (2012)1

84

 

80

Female

 

Male

 

 

1. COL gender country profile April 2015 

 

37.5 89.2
Fixed-telephone subscriptions per 100 inhabitants1 Mobile-cellular subscriptions per 100 inhabitants1

 

 

  
38.6 76.7
Fixed-broadband subscriptions per 100 inhabitants1 Mobile-broadband subscriptions per 100 inhabitants1

 

 

  
88.2 91
Households with a computer (%)1 Individuals using the internet (%)1

 

 

1. International Telecommunication Union (ITU) ICT Eye Country profile, retrieved in March 2020

Partners

Partnerships are fundamental to COL’s work. Strategic partnerships allow COL to broaden its reach and engage at global, regional and national levels, while implementation partners support COL’s work in communities and institutions across Commonwealth Member States. Partners include multilateral organisations, regional bodies, national governments, government agencies, foundations, civil society organisations, public and private (not-for-profit) institutions and the private sector. COL partnerships assist in improving and extending teaching and learning services to people in the developing Commonwealth.

In Canada, COL’s partners include:

  • Global Affairs Canada
  • Athabasca University
  • Lakehead University
  • Royal Roads University
  • University of British Columbia