Teachers are key to the realisation of sustainable development goals (SDGs). This was the theme of a public lecture presented by COL’s President and CEO, Professor Asha Kanwar, during a visit to The Gambia College on June 21 2018. The lecture outlined COL’s work in member countries and the challenges faced in teacher education in developing countries, as well as some of the ways to address them.

Professor Kanwar said that COL was keen to engage with various stakeholders in the country in using open, distance and technology-enabled learning to improve teacher quality and learning outcomes at the school level. Over 100 participants, including staff from The Gambia College attended the lecture which was organised in collaboration with the Ministry of Basic and Secondary Education.

While in The Gambia, Professor Kanwar met the principals, teachers and students at the Jamisa Lower Basic and Jamisa Upper Basic and Senior Secondary schools in Brikama, which have a combined student population of 6,194. She observed that efforts by governments to provide free education was an important first step, and that a concerted effort was necessary in training and motivating teachers. She recommended the expansion of interventions, such as open textbooks, to reduce costs to the learners and their parents.

COL works with teacher education institutions in member countries to enable them deliver and monitor quality learning opportunities for sustainable development, through technology-enabled school-based teacher development.