COL ’s common wealth

The Commonwealth of Learning
“ Our long-term aim is that any learner, anywhere

in the Commonwealth, shall be able to study any
distance teaching programme.”
from "Towards A Commonwealth of Learning,” 1987

Distance Education
Is The Answer

Access to education means access
to a better future. It’s the differ­
ence between one person’s hope
and another’s hopelessness—the
difference between a prosperous
nation and a dependent nation.
Education lays the groundwork
for grass-roots change and
renewal, but it’s of no use if those
who need it can’t get it.
Distance education brings all
the necessary tools into the
home and into the community,
no matter how remote and no
matter how many want to learn.
Evolving from correspondence
courses developed decades earlier,
it’s a strategy that successfully
merged with new technologies
beginning in die 1960s. This
approach is proving to be increas­
ingly effective in overcoming
the problems of isolation and
restricted access throughout the
Commonwealth.
Today, with modern communi­
cations technology, distance
education will reach far more
people in remote areas as well as
in cities, providing opportunities

for those who are unable to study
in a formal setting due to per­
sonal or other circumstances.
It is both a distinct alternative
and an obvious complement to
traditional educational methods.
Distance education allows more
students to learn at the location,
time, and pace of their choice —
for far less money and with far
greater results: that’s the man­
date of The Commonwealth of
Learning.
A Mandate To Educate

One of every four persons on
the planet lives in a Common­
wealth country; COL’s goal is
to make education available to
every one of them. Such an
ambitious ideal is supported by
voluntary contributions from
Commonwealth countries and
accelerated by advances in com­
munications technology7.
Founded in 1987, COL has
moved from gradual steps toprogress in leaps and bou

HIGHLIGHTS

Around the Commonwealth, in all areas of its

mandate, COL is bringing education to those who

will benefit the most. Here are some examples:

Innovative Technologies

For isolated people living on the
scattered atolls of the Maldives,
English language training is now
available through cost-effective
video presentations. A COL
needs-assessment determined
that combining the Ministry of
Education’s existing computers
with desk-top technology offers
unlimited opportunities far less
expensive than traditional video
production methods.
Training Distance Educators

Through a pilot project operating
in 15 developing countries, educa­
tors are earning their Master’s
degrees in Distance Education—
without leaving home. The Rajiv
Gandhi Fellowship Scheme is a
COL initiative offered through
the Indira Gandhi National Open
University. With this cost-effective
programme, students are immedi­
ately able to apply newly acquired
skills in their communities.
Cost-effective Programming

Expensive overseas education has
previously been the means of
upgrading senior public adminis­
trator skills throughout the
Commonwealth. COL’s legislative
drafting project takes advantage of
the Commonwealth-wide “com­
mon law” framework to create a
distance education programme
which trains practitioners within
their own jurisdictions. This pilot
project is showing great success at
a fraction of the cost of traditional
training methods.

Teleconferencing Networks

The immediacy and inter-activity
available to learners through tele­
conferencing networks makes this
technology particularly attractive
to a variety of current COL projects.
For example, the successful
Malaysian Medical Education
Network relies on an audio confer­
encing system to provide learner
support in hospitals throughout
the country. Eager to expand the
network, UKM, the National Uni­
versity of Malaysia, accessed COL’s
expertise, technical assistance and
buying power to purchase equip­
ment for 40 additional sites. As a
result of this effective partnership
with COL, UKM is examining a
wider range of distance education
opportunities with several faculties.
Teacher Training

A 1990 COL planning conference
in Hong Kong determined the
need for improved training and
upgrading systems for technical
and vocational instructors
throughout the Commonwealth.
Today, a pilot project in the
Caribbean, devised through
strong recipient participation, has
improved instruction methods
and made training opportunities
available to more people. The
programme is highly transferable
and negotiations are underway
to adapt it for implementation in
Papua New Guinea, the wider
Pacific region, and beyond.

Shared Expertise

COL was the co-ordinating body
that enabled a Sri Lankan com­
puter awareness programme to be
implemented in the copperbelt
of northern Zambia. The result is
perhaps the most up-to-date
computer training centre in the
entire country and the pride of
Zambia’s National Correspondence
College. After overcoming signifi­
cant obstacles, the centre now
trains students in computer skills,
has attracted industry and
Government contracts, and is a
hub of entrepreneurial activity.
Electronic Media

Modern information and commu­
nication technologies are a
cost-effective and efficient means
of widening access to education
and training. COL initiated the
Commonwealth Educational
Media Centre for Asia (CEMCA)
to promote the collaboration and
co-operation of educational institu­
tions and media organisations.
CEMCA now has a database of over
7,000 radio and television pro­
grammes, publishes a newsletter,
and conducts training workshops.
CEMCA also contributed to COL’s
Educational Technology 2000, a
conference held in Singapore in
August 1996 to explore the appli­
cation of emerging technologies.

Skills Training for Employment
The Canada Caribbean Distance Education Scholarship Programme (CCDESP)
•

Unique pilot programme, funded by Canada’s Department of Foreign Affairs and International
Trade, offers essential training to three Caribbean countries

•

Extends the Commonwealth Scholarship and Fellowship Programme for undergraduate studies
“at a distance” in three important skill areas

•

Partners Canadian and Caribbean institutions, governments and COL

•

Capitalises on subject and distance education expertise that has been developed at Canadian
post-secondary institutions

Under a grant agreement with Canada’s Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade (DFAIT),
COL is carrying out a five-year pilot programme which will provide undergraduate scholarships for
Caribbean students to study “at a distance” through Canadian post-secondary institutions.
Unique features include the advantages of distance learning
The new CCDESP continues the important academic strengths and ideals of the long-standing
Commonwealth Scholarship and Fellowship Programme (CSFP), but also provides an exciting new
dimension to the CSFP by launching scholarships onto the “information highway”. The CCDESP takes
advantage of COL’s and Canadian leadership and expertise in distance education and advances in
technology to enhance access to and availability of scholarships and post-secondary education.

While a unique departure from the traditional CSFP, the new COL programme will maintain the CSFP’s
concept of facilitating a “multilateral trade in ideas,” but will be delivered chiefly through the use of
new technologies with only a short on-campus component. The programme will allow for a greater
number of students at a lower cost and will minimise the disruptions to the personal lives of the
students. The programme also responds to the Commonwealth Education Ministers’ desire for a more
flexible CSFP and for undergraduate scholarships for small states.

three countries — three important skill areas
Consultations with Caribbean advisors and partners indicate a desire to use the opportunity to
apply the available scholarships in vocational areas that will provide immediate benefit by
responding to identified skill shortages. Pending final arrangements with COL’s partners, the
new programme will see Caribbean scholarship recipients from three countries participate in
three specific fields of study:
•

Dominica......................................... Teacher education

•

Jamaica........................................... Information technology

•

St. Vincent & the Grenadines....... Hospitality (Tourism) management

The first group of students will commence studies in September 1998.

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The Commonwealth of Learning

1285 West Broadway

Telephone: 604.775.8200

Suite 600

Fax: 604.775.8210

Vancouver, BC V6H 3X8

E-mail: info@col.org

Canada

Web site: http://www.col.org

The Canada Caribbean Distance Education Scholarship Programme ... (page 2)

Partnerships in Canada and in the Caribbean
While COL will be responsible for the overall programme, it will work closely with Canadian and
Caribbean institutions and governments.

COL will design, arrange and manage the programme; negotiate with Canadian institutions on fee
structures, selection procedures, programme format, courses, delivery systems, assessment and
credential protocols; assist host Governments with student selection procedures, student recruitment
strategies, study centre facilities and locations and recruitment of tutorial staff; and identify and recruit
tutors and provide training in conjunction with Caribbean and Canadian partners.

Canadian partner institutions will design the curriculum, create learning materials and deliver the
materials using the most appropriate technologies; prepare assessment systems, conduct the
assessments, award credits and credentials on successful completion of the programme; arrange for
students to spend (where necessary) a short on-campus period of study; assist in the recruitment of
tutors and their training; and, in conjunction with COL and the host Governments, determine the
infrastructure needed for local learning centres.
Host Governments will work out protocols necessary to implement the pilot; assure, through their
national authorities that full recognition is granted to the qualifications obtained through this
programme; help select local and regional partner institutions; identify appropriate study centres and
assist in their management; assist in the recruitment of candidates; assist in the recruitment of tutors and
their training; and assist in managing and monitoring the project.

COL anticipates facilitating co-operative working relationships between Canadian and Caribbean
educational institutions and study centres that will serve as hosts for the students. Unlike most other
study-abroad schemes, this one will ensure that local institutions are partners in arrangements,
providing them with opportunities for growth.
COL’s professional services at work

This programme is an example of the professional services that COL can provide in partnership with
other agencies. In furthering its mandate and its assistance to developing Commonwealth countries,
COL offers a range of services that can help in the creation and management of distance education
programmes, the application of technologies to such programmes, and the training of distance
education administrative and course development staff.

February 1998

COL is an international organisation created by Commonwealth Heads of Government to
encourage the development and sharing of open learning/distance education resources and
technologies.
Information appearing above may be reproduced with acknowledgement to The Commonwealth of
Learning. Further details may be obtained by contacting COL’s Public Affairs Office, or visiting our
World Wide Web site.

“ The Commonwealth of

Learning has forged an
important and unique role
in the international education

sector and has established
itself as a cost-effective

implementation agency.”

The Honourable Alexander Downer,

Minister for Foreign Affairs,
Australia (1996)

COL’s MANDATE is to
provide quality distance
education to as many

people as possible while

keeping costs down. The
strategy is to design and

implement programmes

that:

Learning Materials

Despite the rapid increase in
the use of communications tech­
nologies, COL recognises that
print-based materials and study
guides continue to be fundamental
components of distance educa­
tion. Under favourable financial
arrangements, COL actively
develops or acquires the rights for
materials that are applicable in a
wide variety of settings. In one
Pakistani institution alone, over
2,000 students are using computer
application materials acquired
through COL.

SUPPORT and improve the institutions

COL now provides fee-for-service consultation to
external agencies and institutions determined to

already engaged in distance learning;

meet their objectives through cost-effective,

knowledge-based strategies.

As the only intergovernmental organisation
CREATE better systems for distance

concerned exclusively with the promotion and
development of open and distance learning, COL

educators to communicate and share
information;

offers clients the benefits of contacts, resources,
and knowledge generated through the direct

management of nearly 300 varied programmes
world-wide.

FORGE new partnerships between
Commonwealth countries and
distance educators.

COL’s range of services includes the creation
and management of distance education pro­
grammes, the application of technologies to such
programmes, and the training of distance educa­

tion administrative and course development staff.

Advocacy

In recent years, every major
Commonwealth forum, as well as
international bodies such as the
World Bank and UNESCO, has
recognised the role of distance
education in supporting human
resource development. Distance
education is also now regarded as
perhaps the strongest and most
practical means to address women
in development, literacy, the
environment, and other universal
concerns. COL takes pride in
having helped bring about this
change of perception. Now COL
can call upon the experience of
diverse international organisa­
tions and promote collaborative
efforts. Recently, for example, the
Asian Development Bank has
invited COL to deliver a training
programme on its behalf.

COL has established the international experi­

ence and infrastructure to expand beyond the
design and implementation of programmes
funded publicly or through private benefactors.

Either as the sole deliverer or in conjunction
with internationally recognised consultants,

COL is now available to support the goals of
other governmental and non-governmental
agencies while fulfilling its own mandate to

A FUTURE OF COMMON WEALTH

Human resources develop through education. With its commitment to
affordable and effective distance education, COL is a building block for
social transformation on a global scale. Commonweal th-wide
systems for educational broadcasting, credit transfer, quality assurance
and accreditation of institutions and commercial partnerships are
all under development in the work of COL.

The goals are ambitious. The job is enormous. Funding is critical.
The explosion of communications technology' has created a golden
opportunity to expand on past successes and establish education
for everyone into the next century. The Commonwealth of Learning is a
unique international body poised and committed to make that happen.

enrich our human resources through open
learning and distance education.

The Asian Development Bank has contracted COL
to work with UNESCO’s Bangkok office, bringing

COL’s experience to the organisation’s “Education
For All” initiative which concentrates on the
earth’s most populous nations. The focus is to build
the capacity for primary teacher training in five

Asian countries: Bangladesh, India, Indonesia,
Pakistan, and the People’s Republic of China.
COL’s roles in this project include the development
and presentation of research papers and training

materials, as well as the delivery of workshops

for those who will be leading national training
programmes in their own countries.

“We value greatly the work being
performed by The Commonwealth of

Learning which has already made a
significant impact on the educational

needs of small developing countries
like Jamaica.”
The Honourable RJ. Patterson,

Prime Minister of Jamaica (1995)

“Canada is pleased to be the host
and a significant contributor to The
Commonwealth of Learning. This

Leadership

and Direction

unique institution is at the cutting

edge in terms of its capability to
help developing countries improve
access to quality education through

the use of distance education. It is
an important example of the ways in
which knowledge can be harnessed
for development.”
The Honourable Don Boudria,

Minister for International Cooperation,
Canada(1997)

“Britain endorses the valuable work

of The Commonwealth of Learning in
expanding access to education. The

demand for distance learning in

developing countries is increasing and

COL is well placed to provide much

The President and Chief
Executive Officer, Dato’
Dr. Gajaraj Dhanarajan, brings
to COL an international repu­
tation for successful advocacy
of open learning and distance
education. His leadership and
experience in Malaysia and
Hong Kong complement a
professional staff of educational
specialists from throughout
the Commonwealth.
COL is governed by a 14member Board, chaired by
Dr. H. Ian Macdonald of
York University in Canada.

needed educational opportunities.”
The Honourable Baroness Chalker,
Overseas Development Minister,
United Kingdom (1996)

“Ghana attaches great importance

to the work entrusted to The
Commonwealth of Learning and the

dedication and professionalism with
which the mandate is being pursued.”

His Excellency Annan A. Cato,
High Commissioner for Ghana in
Canada(1996)

“Your co-operation and sheer willing­
ness at assisting is a demonstration of
the inculcating standards and

values you set. You are indeed instru­
mental in helping us to realise our
commitment to excellence, to not only

our nation’s children and all other
recipients of educational programmes
but to our educators as well.”

Mr. Kenrick Seepersad, Chief Education
Officer, Trinidad and Tobago (1996)

1285 West Broadway, Suite 600
Vancouver, BC V6H 3X8

Canada
Telephone: 604.775.8200
Fax: 604.775.8210

E-mail: info@col.org

Web site: http://www.col.org