Empowering youth with FRIEND Fiji.
In partnership with FRIEND Fiji @FriendFiji, the Commonwealth of Learning’s @COL4D Pacific Partnership for Open, Distance, and Flexible Learning (with support from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade New Zealand @MFATNV) has helped make a lasting impact on youth development this past year. Over 2,500 young individuals, including women and persons with disabilities, gained specialised skills to enhance their employability and entrepreneurial potential.
The diverse training sessions covered soap-making, business management, oil infusion, organic farming, and food processing. These programs have opened new doors of opportunity for many young people across the region.
Success Spotlight: Aliposo Nainima from Naikoroni, Dawasamu, Tailevu, shares:
“"I am 24 years old. This is my first time to hear about FRIEND. I came to participate to represent our youth group. After this training, I realised how important this training is and how easy it will be to start as we will use coconuts, herbs, fruits, sweet-smelling flowers, barks and roots which we could utilise for soap, infused oil and activated charcoal. Now, I have ideas how to generate income from natural resources using the learnt skills from FRIEND. Thank you, FRIEND, this is the first time to attend a training that opens up my mind into business as youths are more into rugby these days."
#COL4D #MFATNZ #YouthEmpowerment #PacificSkillsTraining #SkillsForSuccess #Entrepreneurship #FRIENDFiji #SustainableGrowth
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Enhancing learner support in open higher education.
The Commonwealth Educational Media Centre for Asia (CEMCA) #COL_CEMCA, the regional centre of the Commonwealth of Learning (COL) #COL4D, partnered with the Jharkhand State Open University (JSOU) to host a 'Capacity Building Workshop for Learner Support Centre (LSC) Coordinators and Staff' in Jharkhand, India. JSOU is the most recent addition to the list of open universities (OUs) in India, so CEMCA signed an MOU with the university to strengthen its open and distance learning (ODL) system.
The training aimed to build essential skills for the 145 participants, leading to more and better prospects for distance learners at JSOU. The workshop is expected to result in a more proficient and effective workforce capable of advancing the institution's mission of providing high-quality distance education opportunities to the unreached communities in Jharkhand state, where a significant proportion of the population continues to experience poverty.
The workshop Sessions covered the role of LSCs in expanding ODL, academic counsellor responsibilities, regulatory frameworks, and the use of technology for admissions, finance, examinations, and teaching.
Training methods included situational analysis, presentations, discussions, group activities, and participant assessments, ensuring a hands-on learning experience. The workshop reinforced the strategic importance of LSCs in enhancing ODL access and effectiveness in India.
Professor (Dr) T N Sahu, Vice Chancellor, JSOU, commended CEMCA’s support to ODL institutions in India and referred to the recent MOU as an essential step towards establishing JSOU as an institution of repute among Indian OUs. Dr B. Shadrach, Director of CEMCA, underscored the pivotal role LSCs may play as the primary interface for JSOU to reach learners in remote and underserved areas.
Link to news: www.col.org/news/enhancing-learner-support-in-open-higher-education/
#OpenEducation #DistanceLearning #LearnerSupport #HigherEducation #ODL #CapacityBuilding #EducationalWorkshops #IndiaEducation
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The Commonwealth of Learning (COL) @COL4D congratulates Professor Jane Naana Opoku-Agyemang @NJOAgyemang on being sworn in as Ghana's first female vice president – the latest in a long line of achievements breaking new boundaries for women.
COL benefited from Professor Opoku-Agyemang’s knowledge in her previous role as the Honourable Minister of Education, and in 2016, she was conferred the COL Honorary Fellowship during the Eight Pan-Commonwealth Forum held in Kuala Lumpur (see attached image).
COL continues to work with partners in Ghana in the areas of teacher education and higher education and recently initiated a project with the Centre for National Distance Learning and Open Schooling to explore teacher-centric Gen AI. We look forward to possible future opportunities to engage with the Vice President in her new role.
#COL4D #WomenInLeadership #Ghana #BreakingBarriers #Education #HigherEducation #TeacherEducation #GenerativeAI #GhanaEducation #DistanceLearning #OpenEducation
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