Learning for Sustainable Development

Commonwealth of Learning

6 days ago

Sowing the seeds of change with COL support in The Gambia.

A joint initiative – a collaboration between the Commonwealth of Learning (COL) #COL4D and Global Youth Innovation Network (GYIN) Gambia Chapter – is supporting maize-producing farmers and addressing agricultural challenges through community engagement with the aim of enhancing maize production in the country.

A lack of access to the input and output markets largely hinders maize production in The Gambia. In addition to this, farmers were also producing under the weight of a huge learning gap. The program was conceived to bridge these gaps using COL’s Lifelong Learning for Farmers (L3F) approach for improved partnerships and capacity building along the maize value chain.

Mamadou Edrisa Njie, Executive Director of GYIN Gambia, offered outcomes from the project, stating, "Our partnership with COL outlined 3,000 farmers and established a Learning, Innovation, and Development Platform, providing essential training and resources." The initiative encompassed farmer reporting, the creation of contextualised educational content, digital training via WhatsApp groups, and rigorous monitoring and evaluation. Mr Njie emphasised that in the project, the role of GYINs was to facilitate connections and communication between farmers, suppliers, buyers, and researchers. COL provided the backstopping and mentorship in developing the learning platform and producing the training materials.

This project took specific advantage of the expertise and experiences of the Master Farmers to build the capacity of other farmers, including youth. The Master Farmers shared their knowledge of maize cultivation and insights from previous large-scale collaborations stressing the importance of quality in agricultural production. Emphasis was placed on the training materials developed and delivered on a real-time basis and in the local languages the farmers speak. The L3F model of training materials was delivered using a combination of text, audio messages, and short videos, which effectively raised the farmers' comprehension and the adoption of new techniques. Farmers augmented their incomes through increased production and enhanced marketing, while input dealers and output marketers also recorded increased benefits, making the project a win-win scenario and an example of sustainable development.

Professor Wale Adekunle, COL’s Adviser: L3F, stated, "The use of Master Farmers as a conduit to others is an effective way of reaching farmers at the last mile with training and linkages with both input and output markets. With the use of the L3F approach, in which training materials have been co-developed with farmers and disseminated in partnership, the outcomes will always be transformational.”

This collaboration has tackled the critical challenges in maize production while using local expertise. By focusing on quality, sustainability, and equitable practices, this collaboration between COL, GYIN Gambia, and the Master Farmers' Cooperative Association is poised to enhance maize production, bolstering food security and improving lives and livelihoods for farmers throughout the country.

As the project concluded, all parties expressed satisfaction regarding the collaboration. The Master Farmers' aspiration toward year-round production, combined with the support from COL and GYIN Gambia, could contribute to achieving SDG 8.

#MaizeProduction #AgriculturalInnovation #SustainableFarming #MaFCA #GYINGambia #LifelongLearning #FarmersEmpowerment #FoodSecurity #CapacityBuilding #YouthInAgriculture #DigitalTraining #SustainableDevelopment ... See MoreSee Less

Commonwealth of Learning

1 week ago

Photos from COL4D's Empowering Women & Girls's post ... See MoreSee Less

Commonwealth of Learning

1 week ago

Bridging education and employment: The Graduate Employability (GE) project launched in India.

Focusing on strengthening graduate employability within higher education, the Commonwealth Educational Media Centre for Asia (CEMCA), the regional centre of the Commonwealth of Learning (COL) #COL4D—recently partnered with Madhya Pradesh Bhoj Open University (MPBOU) to convene a pivotal workshop in Bhopal, India. By bringing together academic leaders and practitioners, this workshop aimed to ensure that future graduates acquire the necessary skills aligned with the demands of a rapidly evolving job market.

Guided by experts from COL and CEMCA, the workshop marked an advance in bridging the gap between academic learning and industry needs. This approach aligns closely with the employability priorities outlined in the Ahmedabad Declaration – adopted by all 16 open universities (OUs) in India – reaffirming a collective resolve to produce graduates who are more readily prepared for meaningful employment. Participants from these OUs were oriented on the integration and implementation process for higher education. Shri Inder Singh Parmar, Honourable Minister of Higher Education and Technical Education, State Government of Madhya Pradesh, in his remarks as the Chief Guest on the concluding day of the workshop, commended the project as the need of the hour.

Dr B. Shadrach, Director, CEMCA, underscored the timeliness of the project and the need for capacity building and sensitisation among OU educators. He referred to the flexibility offered by India’s National Education Policy 2020, which provides a unique opportunity to adopt and adapt the COL Employability Model to the Indian context. Dr Shadrach encouraged the participants to become GE champions in each of the four phases of the project, starting with assessment and sensitisation, planning, implementation, and evaluation. The GE project at the OUs aims to equip the faculty members to embed skills and competencies essential for employment into curricula, aligning higher education with the needs of the workforce.

Professor Jane-Frances Agbu, Adviser: Higher Education COL, discussed the project’s emphasis on stakeholder collaboration and exploring emerging job markets. She shared insights from GE implementations in Botswana, Cameroon, Ghana, Kenya, Lesotho, Mauritius, Namibia, Nigeria, Sierra Leone and Zambia, where stakeholder engagement and framework validation were critical.

Given India’s diverse cultural and employment landscape, strategies such as localising solutions, fostering industry-university linkages, and creating “baskets of courses” for learners with varied profiles were proposed.

Key recommendations stemming from the workshop included developing strong industry partnerships, promoting financial literacy and entrepreneurship/business acumen, and introducing industry-based internships and apprenticeships in the final year of graduate programmes. The participants highlighted the need for comprehensive faculty training, modular and outcome-based course designing, and leveraging alumni networks for mentorship.

#GraduateEmployability #HigherEducation #SkillDevelopment #IndiaEducation #WorkforceDevelopment #IndustryPartnerships #EducationReform #DigitalLearning #VocationalTraining #CareerReadiness #VocationalTraining #CareerReadiness #OpenUniversities #EducationPolicy ... See MoreSee Less