Mauritius develops policy guidelines on AI in higher education
The Commonwealth of Learning (COL) recently supported the Higher Education Commission (HEC), Mauritius, to develop national policy guidelines on integrating Artificial Intelligence (AI) in teaching and learning in the higher education institutions in the country.
Since March 2022, COL has supported the HEC in systematically integrating information and communication technologies in teaching and learning in Mauritius's six public higher education institutions. Taking a phased intervention approach, the COL support has resulted in the development of a technology-enabled learning (TEL) policy in the six institutions and capacity building of teachers in the development of blended courses. Currently, over 80 blended courses have been developed, integrating open educational resources. Many of these have also already been offered to the students. While the six institutions are currently engaged in applying COL’s TEL benchmarking toolkit for assessing their capacities to leverage the power of technology to improve the quality of learning, the HEC has developed the guidelines on AI using COL’s policy guidelines.
Over 50 participants from the higher education sector, representing private and public institutions, parastatal bodies, and ministries, recently attended the one-day workshop to validate the newly developed AI guidelines. The workshop was inaugurated by Dr Kaviraj Sharma Sukoon, Minister of Tertiary Education, Science and Research, Republic of Mauritius, and emphasised the need to regulate AI use in teaching, learning and research. “The guidelines developed by HEC with the support of COL will provide a clear framework for AI use, academic integrity, capacity building, and improving teaching methodologies and student engagement”, he commented.
Dr Sanjaya Mishra, COL’s Education Specialist: Technology-Enabled Learning, facilitated the review of the draft guidelines. Participants discussed the provisions of the policy guidelines in groups to critically reflect on the clarity, relevance, coherence, and feasibility, and provided inputs for finalising it. Dr Mishra explained the work of the Committee of Teachers involved in developing the policy guidelines and said, “The HEC has taken an important step in developing these guidelines for the appropriate use of AI in teaching and learning in higher education. This will facilitate equitable access to AI tools and allow a transparent, ethical and human-centred approach while using AI in teaching and learning.”
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COL Blog: COL is catalysing change to engage Girls In ICT
By Dr Karen Nyangara
COL Adviser: Gender
International Girls in ICT Day 2025 was celebrated on 24 April under the theme “Girls in ICT for inclusive digital transformation”. The day is observed to draw attention to the critical need for more girls and women in the ICT sector, according to UN Women.
Information and communication technologies are critical tools and resources for social change. Through their use, we can address society's most significant challenges – climate change, emergent global health issues, conflict and poverty. Each of these issues intersects with and impacts men and women differently. Therefore, the solutions need to be framed considering a gender lens that allows both men and women to develop and use the technologies for creating a more sustainable and equitable future for all.
More girls and young women need to access ICT for education and training and their livelihoods. Some of the data on access looks promising. The 2023 Global Education Monitoring (GEM) report: Technology in education: a tool on whose terms? indicates that two-thirds of the poorest households in low- and lower-middle-income countries own a mobile phone, and that two-thirds of all people use the internet. Students in many countries are increasingly using technology to learn. However, teachers feel hampered by the lack of digital technology and training, and female role models in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) are still lacking in many schools. Globally, only one-third of all STEM graduates from tertiary institutions are female. Despite advances in digital connectivity and technology-based training and education, girls and women remain underrepresented in the ICT employment sector.
The need to surmount the challenges in making ICT accessible and getting more girls and women interested in ICT-related careers needs to be underscored. The World Economic Forum Future of Jobs Report 2025 themed “The jobs of the future – and the skills you need to get them” shows that technological literacy, AI and big data, networks and cybersecurity are needed more rapidly than any other skills in the next five years, no matter one’s career path. For example, with commerce and finance increasingly online, entrepreneurs without good technological skills are disadvantaged in business and are more susceptible to cybercrime. Teachers play a central role in equipping students with foundational knowledge and skills through ICT and inspiring them to pursue careers in STEM.
By harnessing the potential of technologies for open, distant and lifelong learning, the Commonwealth of learning acts as a catalyst for the transformation of education. Through its Commonwealth Digital Education Leadership Training in Action (C-DELTA) programme, COL equips trainers with the skills to promote digital education and help other teachers integrate ICT in teaching and learning. Through the Virtual University for Small States of the Commonwealth (VUSSC) initiative, COL aims to strengthen mathematics education in the Caribbean, equipping teachers with innovative strategies to enhance student learning outcomes in mathematics.
As part of COL’s Teacher-in-the-Loop AI (Til-AI) project, COL’s regional centre, the Commonwealth Educational Media Centre for Asia (CEMCA), conducted a boot camp for mathematics teachers in India to leverage generative AI to design OER to teach challenging concepts in mathematics. The project also aims to increase girls' participation in STEM. Under the Skills for Work Initiative, COL works with national partners, Qualification Authorities (QA) and TVET institutions to build capacity of practitioners for blended TVET practice, using technology for authentic assessment, skilling, reskilling and upskilling. COL’s GIRLS Inspire initiative conducts training in eMobile course development for NGO trainers to curate training materials targeting young women in community education, financial literacy, entrepreneurship, and farming.
Empowering teachers and trainers in formal and non-formal institutions to use technology in teaching increases personalisation and interaction of the learning experience. Students taught by these teachers develop digital literacy, can access a wider range of learning resources, and are motivated to use technology daily. COL's work is rooted in inclusive digital transformation, which can only result in more girls taking up ICT-based careers and livelihoods.
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Building Confidence. Reaching Communities. Henjo’s Journey with the TVET Toolkit.
“When I joined Ituani in 2019, I had zero training or management experience,” says Henjo, part of the management team at Ituani Vocational Training Centre in Vanuatu. “I didn’t even know where to start.”
Then came a game-changer: the Pacific TVET Online Toolkit (pacifictoolkit.col.org) supported by the Commonwealth of Learning (COL) @COL4D and funded by New Zealand’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade @MFATNZ.
He added, “The Toolkit gave me confidence. It helped me build training programmes, organise staff, and truly support our learners.”
But it did more than that. “It changed how I saw my role — I developed leadership, communication, and saw how Ituani could really make a difference.”
And it’s working. In 2024, Ituani was the only organisation in Vanuatu invited to present at the national TVET forum under the theme ‘Flexible Delivery Model’.
Next goal? Share their impact through video storytelling so more communities can benefit.
To learn more about Ituani Centre’s work and ongoing outreach, visit www.ituani.org or follow their journey on Facebook at facebook.com/ituani.
#COL4D #MFATNZ #TVETToolkit #EducationForEmpowerment #CommunityTraining #OpenEducationResources #PacificEducation #ProfessionalGrowth #BuildingConfidence #InclusiveEducation #SustainableDevelopment #FlexibleLearning #EmpoweringCommunities
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