Pacific stakeholders chart course for regional credit transfer framework on micro-credentials.
The Commonwealth of Learning (COL) @COL4D, in collaboration with the Solomon Islands Ministry of Education and Human Resource Development (MEHRD), convened a high-level regional consultative meeting on 24–25 March 2025 in Honiara, bringing together senior education officials, policymakers and institutional leaders from 12 Commonwealth countries in the Pacific. Hosted at the Solomon Islands National University (SINU), the event marked a significant step in shaping a shared Pacific vision for micro-credentials and credit transfer, with the broader aim of advancing inclusive, flexible and quality learning opportunities across the region.
Through five consultative meetings, COL aims to develop the Commonwealth Credit Transfer Framework for Micro-Credentials: Micro-credentials in a Digital Age.
In his welcome remarks, Professor Peter Scott @peter_scott, President and CEO of COL, explained that the Pacific is leading the way in seeing micro-credentials as enhancing global education access and lifelong learning. He noted that "These powerful small things: micro-credentials, can allow learners to access skill learning in very new, flexible ways. He further stated that “charting a path together for a common framework here in the Pacific, will help all our world to more effectively drive learning quality up; drive learning cost down; and increase equity of learning access, not just in these islands, but also for the wider world".
The Honourable Tozen Leokana, Minister of Education and Human Resources Development (MEHRD) in the Solomon Islands, delivered the official opening remarks at the start of the two-day regional meeting. Minister Leokana emphasised the importance of developing effective credit transfer models that can be adapted and scaled across the Pacific region. He also stressed the need for a policy framework that ensures consistent recognition of qualifications and the role of technology-driven solutions in enhancing access to education, particularly for learners in remote areas. He reiterated the need to acknowledge the existing challenges encountered, including the need to align diverse national qualification systems to ensure seamless credit transfer, address institutional hesitation in accepting non-traditional learning credentials, and bridge technology and infrastructure gaps that hinder equitable access to digital learning resources. He added, “This is an opportunity to collaboratively address these barriers and develop a more harmonised Pacific strategy for the credit transfer framework and micro-credential recognition.”
Speaking at the official opening of the regional meeting, SINU Vice Chancellor Professor Transform Aqorau welcomed all participants and thanked COL for hosting the workshop in the Solomon Islands. He said, “We are fortunate to be guided by the work of the Commonwealth of Learning, which has conducted in-depth reviews of the literature, tools, and practices in micro-credentialing across the Commonwealth.” He added, “Education is no longer a one-time event – it is a lifelong journey. And micro-credentials are the signposts along that journey.”
Dr Franco Rodie, the Permanent Secretary of MEHRD in the Solomon Islands, and Robert Okinda, COL’s Adviser for Skills, were also present at the event.
Other regional consultative meetings are planned for the Caribbean, Southern and West Africa, and Asia later in 2025.
#COL4D #MicroCredentials #Education #CreditTransfer #LifelongLearning #SkillsDevelopment #PacificRegion #HigherEducation #OnlineLearning #DigitalCredentials #WorkforceDevelopment #EdTech #SkillsRecognition
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Photos from Solomon Islands National University's post
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Revitalising ODL provision for schooling in Zambia.
The Commonwealth of Learning (COL) @COL4D recently supported the Zambia College of Distance Education (ZACODE) in conducting a capacity-building workshop focused on Open and Distance Learning (ODL). This initiative aligns with Zambia’s commitment to using Alternative Modes of Education Provision to improve educational access for out-of-school children, youths, and adults. The workshop aimed at enhancing ZACODE’s capabilities, addressing low learner enrolment, and tackling gender disparities in Zambia’s educational system. The collaboration is guided by objectives outlined in a new Memorandum of Understanding between COL and Zambia's Ministry of Education, marking an important step towards expanding educational access and equity in the country.
The Ministry of Education prioritises using Alternative Modes of Education Provision (AMEP) to provide early childhood education, primary and secondary education, as well as vocational education for out-of-school children, youths and adults. Whilst ZACODE is mandated to play a central role in meeting this goal through ODL, it had a very low enrolment of fewer than 300 learners nationally by the end of 2024.
The ODL capacity-building workshop was officially opened by Mrs Enidhe Habweza from the Copperbelt Provincial Education Office, who emphasised the critical need for ZACODE to enhance its operational capacity and broaden access through distance education. Following her remarks, Mr Tobby Gondwe, Senior Education Officer from the Ministry of Education’s Department of Distance Education, provided a detailed overview of Zambia’s education context, highlighting significant access challenges, notably low transition rates between educational levels and pronounced gender disparities affecting girls' progression from primary through to senior secondary education.
Dr Ephraim Mhlanga from Saide, who facilitated the workshop, concluded, “ZACODE has great potential to expand access at the schooling level through ODL, and there is great commitment at DODE to support the college in moving in this direction. However, the current enrolment of fewer than 300 learners is too small for the College to be sustainable nor for it to have any significant impact in terms of access at the national level.
Dr Tony Mays, Director of Education COL, observed that the workshop was the first step in a process to achieve three objectives agreed upon in a new Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) signed with the Ministry in September 2024. The specific objectives of the new MOU are as follows:
• To create online courses and open textbooks for Grade 10 in three subject areas, English Language, Computer Studies and Business Studies at Zambia College of Distance Education (ZACODE);
• To strengthen the ODL system in Zambia to make it robust enough to undertake online/offline delivery systems for learners/students at all levels of education delivery; and
• To assist in the integration of ICT and OER in teaching and learning through evidence-informed policy development and implementation.
Support to achieve these objectives will be provided in COL’s new financial year starting July 2025. COL previously worked with the Ministry on Increasing access to open schooling through an e-Learning intervention.
#COL4D #OpenDistanceLearning #EducationForAll #ZambiaEducation #DistanceEducation
#ZACODE #InclusiveEducation #EducationalAccess #CapacityBuilding
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