At UNESCO's Digital Learning Week in Paris last week, COL Vice President Anne-Marie Scott joined the UNITWIN Network on Open Education, which brings together UNESCO Chairs of Open Education, for a meeting ahead of the formal programme.
Alongside representatives from UNESCO, the International Council for Open and Distance Education, Open Education Global and the Global Open Educational Resources Graduate Network, participants shared updates on open education activities and priorities, explored opportunities for greater collaboration and exchanged perspectives from within and beyond the Commonwealth.
Discussions highlighted the importance of developing the next generation of open education leadership, strengthening the intersection between open education and skills development, and continuing global collaboration to advance accessible and inclusive learning.
COL is grateful to the UNITWIN Network on Open Education for bringing this valuable community together and creating space to strengthen partnerships around open education.
We were delighted to welcome the new British Consul General in Vancouver, Danial Shaikh, to the Commonwealth of Learning (COL) headquarters.
During his meeting with COL President and CEO, Professor Peter Scott, they discussed how COL is expanding access to education and opportunity across the Commonwealth. The conversation highlighted work in areas such as Frugal AI, open schooling, support for teachers and learners, and initiatives that empower women and girls.
The United Kingdom is a major contributor to COL’s work, providing valued funding, leadership and expertise. As a major donor, the UK also holds a seat on COL’s Board of Governors.
We wish Consul General Shaikh all the best in his new role and look forward to continued engagement.
COL congratulates the Government and people of Papua New Guinea and is proud to support national efforts to widen access to education and skills under the Education Transformation Vision 2075 through open schooling, flexible TVET, teacher development, skills training for women and young people, and the responsible use of technology-enabled learning and AI.
Through the Partnership for Open, Distance and Flexible Learning in the Pacific, funded by New Zealand’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Papua New Guinea has further strengthened policy, locally relevant open educational resources, and capacity for flexible learning.
As COL and partners look ahead to a second, decade-long phase of the partnership, we will continue working with Papua New Guinea to open more pathways for young people not in education, employment or training, and to make learning more accessible and resilient across the country.
At UNESCO's Digital Learning Week in Paris last week, COL Vice President Anne-Marie Scott joined the UNITWIN Network on Open Education, which brings together UNESCO Chairs of Open Education, for a meeting ahead of the formal programme.
COL congratulates the Government and people of Papua New Guinea and is proud to support national efforts to widen access to education and skills under the Education Transformation Vision 2075 through open schooling, flexible TVET,
Research on women’s access to STEM education points to progress. But are those gains translating into equal opportunities to build careers and lead?
COL’s Women in STEM initiative (WiSE) is examining the gaps behind this question, bringing together researchers, policymakers and civil society to develop solutions that expand opportunities for women across STEM education, employment and leadership.
At a recent workshop in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, stakeholders from Brunei, India, Malaysia, Pakistan, The Gambia and Uganda discussed barriers, shared lessons on more inclusive policy and practice, and identified practical actions to help more women participate, progress and lead in STEM.
Rwanda’s higher education and teacher training institutions are taking important steps towards the responsible and effective use of artificial intelligence (AI). Through a collaboration between the Commonwealth of Learning (COL), the Higher Education Council (HEC) and the University of Rwanda (UR), representatives from nine higher education and teacher training institutions have come together in Kigali, Rwanda, for a three-day session to develop and strengthen institutional AI policies and guidelines.
The initiative aims to establish a coherent, future-ready framework that enables institutions to harness AI to improve the quality of education, foster innovation and promote ethical practices. The policies are being developed in alignment with national guidance from HEC as well as regional frameworks from the Inter-University Council for East Africa.
Opening the event, Dr Olivier Habimana, Head of the Department of Digitalisation and Research at HEC, highlighted the importance of clear AI policies and other institutional measures to support the effective integration of AI in education. In his welcoming remarks, Professor Florien Nsanganwimana, Principal of the College of Education at the University of Rwanda, emphasised the critical role of teachers in preparing learners for an AI-enabled future, noting the importance of AI literacy and ethics in supporting students.
This activity forms part of COL’s broader work in AI for Teacher Education work across Sub-Saharan Africa and the Caribbean. It reflects our commitment to promoting shared learning, locally relevant and collaborative solutions, open educational resources, and the responsible and sustainable integration of AI across education systems.
“Our task is not simply to put AI tools in teachers’ hands, but to strengthen their agency to decide when, why and how AI can improve teaching and learning,” says Dr Betty Ogange, Education Specialist: Teacher Education at the Commonwealth of Learning.
As AI becomes an increasingly integral part of education, responsible integration must begin with teacher education and professional development. This means embedding AI literacy, ethics, critical thinking and inclusive practices into teacher education policies, curricula and assessment.
Our latest story looks at how South Africa is translating AI literacy into practical action across teacher education. Read more at the news link in our bio. #ArtificialIntelligence #TeacherEducation #AILiteracy #Teachers #InclusiveEducation #SouthAfrica @highereduza @universityofpretoria @university_of_cape_town
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