What is the Commonwealth of Learning?

Headquartered in Vancouver, Canada, COL is the world's only intergovernmental organisation dedicated solely to promoting and delivering distance education and open learning, and is the only official Commonwealth agency located outside Britain.

Mandated to be in the vanguard of technological change in education and training, COL and its international network of partner organisations have helped the Commonwealth's 53 member nations and their citizens realise widespread access to quality, current education and training for over fifteen years. Fully operational since 1989, COL is financially supported by Commonwealth governments on a voluntary basis. It responds to Commonwealth needs through in-country and regional programmes and initiatives, as well as fee-for-service consulting for international agencies and national governments.

Although it is a tiny intergovernmental body, not a donor agency, COL has helped Commonwealth countries give millions of people new opportunities to learn over the two decades of its existence. The secret of its success is to empower governments, institutions and individuals to develop learning systems themselves without relying on donors. 

Learning for Development

The Commonwealth of Learning helps governments and institutions to expand the scope, scale and quality of learning by using new approaches. COL promotes policies and systems to make innovation sustainable and works with international partners to build models, create materials, enhance organisational capacity and nurture networks that facilitate learning in support of development goals.

COL helps developing Commonwealth countries to increase access to learning using distance education and appropriate technologies. Its work is grouped into three sectors of activity: education, learning for livelihoods and human environment.

Access to learning is the key to development.

Better Business, as Usual

With the Results Based Management approach, COL responds to development needs and issues more cohesively. It can more efficiently evaluate proposed and ongoing programmes, and can more effectively harmonise its work with international development goals. COL's knowledge management systems, including databases, information-sharing and communications efforts, are increasingly co-ordinated with specific initiatives - enabling a more targeted response to building programme and project awareness, providing information and promoting activities.

COL's Mission

The Commonwealth of Learning helps governments and institutions to expand the scope, scale and quality of learning by using new approaches. COL promotes policies and systems to make innovation sustainable and works with international partners to build models, create materials, enhance organisational capacity and nurture networks that facilitate learning in support of development goals.

- COL's Mission Statement
   (Three-year Plan, 2006-2009)

The Future, Now

For a competitive edge in the emergent global economy, Commonwealth governments increasingly seek non-traditional education solutions such as open and distance learning (ODL) to achieve cost-effective, significant education and training results for their citizens. COL plays a pivotal role in this critical growth area.

ODL uses innovative information and communications technology (ICT) and multimedia applications together with, or as an alternative to, traditional methods of education delivery. COL and its network of Commonwealth and international partners provide the breadth and depth of experience and expertise to translate the education goals of Commonwealth governments into a tangible economic and social reality.

COL's expertise in adapting technology for the design, development, delivery and administration of education and training is put to effective use by countries and regional organisations seeking to bridge the "digital divide," and to capitalise on technology's long term benefits.

COL is instrumental to the rapid, continuing evolution of ODL use in Commonwealth countries in the past decade - in basic education, such as at the National Open School in India; in university level courses, such as at the Open University of Tanzania; in regional skills training and upgrading programmes, such as the Commonwealth Executive MBA/MPA programme; and in a planned virtual university to serve the small istates of the Commonwealth.

The Need

Issues of human health and survival are as deep a concern as the achievement of economic viability, particularly in developing countries. Access to relevant education and training is a critical factor in breaking the self-perpetuating cycle of poverty, misery and violence, exacerbated by debilitating diseases such as HIV/AIDS, the limiting effects of gender discrimination, and the adverse impact of globalisation on jobs for youth.

Yet, more than 125 million children worldwide have no access to primary education. Of those who do, many are taught by poorly trained teachers in ill-equipped schools - with no learning materials, libraries or laboratories. Many will be unable to complete primary school education. Over one billion adults, most of them illiterate, have never received or benefited from early education. Many others require new skills to function productively in a shifting global economic environment. Access to post-secondary education is no more than three percent of the relevant age group in many developing countries.

A comprehensive educational strategy incorporating ODL and ICT applications can play a central role in delivering education at all levels to all peoples, providing them with the opportunity for a more meaningful, productive way of life.

The Path Taken

COL and its international partners have helped advance ODL into the mainstream of education and training throughout the Commonwealth. COL has helped developing nations increase their capacity to meet growing demand for access to quality education and training; in the learning community, COL has heightened awareness to, and increased acceptance of, alternative methods of educational delivery and ICT use.

COL has worked to optimise the efficient transfer of information, ideas, innovations and resources supporting ODL, empowering learners to obtain education where, when, and how they choose; to continue working while training or upgrading education and skills; and to attain significant results, at lower cost.

COL's initiatives, programmes and research are inherently sensitive and responsive to needs in the areas of gender equity, sustainable development, environmental protection, civil rights and the appropriate use of low-cost and innovative technologies.

Many of COL's activities have responded directly to the needs of Commonwealth developing countries. While often drawing upon the Commonwealth's developed countries for experience and expertise, COL encourages significant South-South co-operation in its projects.

Since COL began operations in 1989, it has:

Policies
Systems
Models and materials
Partnerships

Operational strategies include networking, model building, facilitating, brokering and commissioning, together with general advocacy and fostering co-operation between the Commonwealth's governments and agencies. COL remains committed to encouraging South-South co-operation, and will use timely institutional, in-country and regional assessments to hone its objectives. 

Funding