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Jennifer Glennie reports on the Commonwealth of Learning's(COL) Board meeting in Vancouver in May 2006
In 2005, South Africa became one of the major donors to COL along with Canada, the UK, India, and New Zealand. I was requested by Minister Pandor to take up South Africa's place on COL's Board of Governors. The Board includes donor representatives, the Secretary General of the Commonwealth and appointees to represent the four regions of the Commonwealth. It meets annually in Vancouver and otherwise transacts through teleconference and email.
The key items on this year's agenda were the evaluation of COL, conducted by Patrick Spaven, and the refinement of the Three Year Strategic Plan: 2006 to 2009. An earlier draft of the plan, entitled Learning for Development, was made available on the COL website and attracted over 50 responses. The plan divides the international development agenda into three broad sectors: education, learning for livelihoods and human environment. Within each of these sectors, COL aims for one or more of three outcomes: policies, systems, and models and materials. Knowledge management technology will continue as a cross-cutting activity. One of the major activities is the development of the Virtual University for Small States of the Commonwealth, a collaborative network requested by the Ministers of Education that is gathering momentum.
The plan will form the basis of intensive discussions with Commonwealth Education Ministers before their 16th triennial Conference in Cape Town in December. These discussions will identify the focus of activity for each country within this overall plan. The plan represents a sophisticated attempt to balance the dual imperatives of being responsive to the needs of Commonwealth countries while maintaining some focus in relation to the size of the organization and its budget. A final version of the plan will be available shortly.
COL is being particularly careful in maintaining its communication links with each of the Commonwealth members through a government representative. South Africa's is Ms Trudi Van Wyk at the Department of Education.
I was honoured to be appointed to the Executive Committee of COL and to Chair the Audit Committee.
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