Open Schooling: the International Perspective & Possibilities of Collaboration

Abstract

National Institute for Open Schooling, Delhi, 13 October 2009, by Sir John Daniel and Ms. Frances Ferreira, Commonwealth of Learning // It is a pleasure to be here at NIOS for the first time and to congratulate your new Chair, Dr Jena, on his appointment. With the help of my co-author Frances Ferreira I am going to address the challenges and opportunities for ODL in secondary education. // The title you have given us is Open Schooling: The International Perspective & Possibilities of Collaboration. We shall argue that expanding secondary education is – or soon will be – the key priority for many developing countries. We shall also note that in a time of economic difficulty countries need to strive for greater efficiency and observe that in many countries secondary education is not at all efficient. This will lead us to propose the expansion of open schooling. // But we are not simply proposing the creation and expansion of open schools as a separate and distinct element within national school systems. We believe that open schools should be seen as catalysts for integrating all elements of schooling into an educational ecosystem fit for the 21st century.