04. Pan-Commonwealth Forum 4 (PCF4), 2006

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    Open Learning and Human Development: the IEC story: Mission Accomplished...or is it?
    (2006-10) Dodds, Tony
    PCF4 // The proposed workshop will start with a presentation by me of an outline document about IEC's history, achievements and experience, very much in line with the PCF's theme, and in advance I will invite IEC associates from various countries and regions to make short presentations/critiques about their experience of working with IEC. The themes for the analysis of IEC's achievements will be: reaching out to the educationally deprived; sharing experience and resources; professional development; and what have we learned? An important sub-theme would be 'unfinished business' and how such business as IEC concerned itself with can be carried forward in the future. I hope there would be a possibility to draw some significant conclusions about the development of ODL from this review of IEC's experience. // Paper ID 453
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    Open Access
    The Role of Civil Society in Achieving Gender Parity and Equality in Across the Commonwealth: A Panel Presented by the Commonwealth Foundation and the Commonwealth Secretariat
    (2006-10) Rajapakse, Anisha
    PCF4 // The Commonwealth Foundation and the Commonwealth Secretariat are committed to supporting sustainable inclusive strategies to accelerate progress towards meeting the Millennium Development Goal of eliminating gender disparity in primary and secondary education by 2015 an achievable prospect. It remains an over-arching Commonwealth concern. // Paper ID 445
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    Open Access
    The Tragedy of Misconception of Adult Education in Zambia
    (2006-10) Chanda, Shaddon
    PCF4 // The tragedy of Adult Education is that the majority of Zambians confine it to the narrow premise of functional literacy and attendance of academic evening classes at various centre of continuing education. Worse still, the government, knowingly and unknowingly, allocates a tiny fraction of its budget to continuing education. The poor funding of open learning has made adult education to wallow in the muddy waters of stagnation and deprivation. Many non-government organizations (NGOs) are also oblivious of the fact that they are conveyors and purveyors of adult education. Adult education is embracive of Environmental Education, Peace Education, Civic Education, Development Studies, Social Work, Project Planning, Human Resource Development and Training. // Paper ID 428
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    Open Access
    Collaborative Models in Course Design and Delivery: The IGNOU Experience
    (2006-10) Kumar, Kapil
    PCF4 // For achieving the developmental goals in the present global scenario, the planners in the ODLS of the developing countries face challenges which necessitate strategic shifts in the areas of curriculum and course development, course design, delivery mechanisms and so on. Collaboration amongst knowledge and education generating institutions is looked upon as a method to derive maximum benefits for the society. // This paper attempts to familiarise the participants with the collaborative methods innovated and adopted at IGNOU in the last fifteen years for developing professional courses in Tourism and Hospitality Education. // Paper ID 477
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    Open Access
    Developing Virtual School with Transformative Value
    (2006-10) Menon, Mohan
    PCF4 // School education in India is facing many problems and challenges. The process of globalisation and ICT use are making many demands from education, particularly of high quality and relevance. Indian school education is now getting layerd into four strata: International schools, Private schools, Public schools and Municipal & District Council schools. They form the quality and cost ladder and divides society. // The State efforts of universalisation of primary education is still incomplete. Knowledge society now demands higher learning - 12 year schooling with vocational training. The challenge today is to offer Best Quality School Education for All for sustainable development. // A group of individuals, public and private institutions came together under the leadership of Commonwealth of Learning and formed Indian Consortium for Educational Transformation (I-CONSENT). It is still in the making. Maharashtra Knowledge Corporation Ltd (MKCL), a company created to develop new paradigm in education and avoid digital divide, is offering its total e-governance and LMS platform. (www.mkcl.org). // India faces the problem of large numbers. The school system in Maharashtra alone has 17.32 million students in 89 000 schools taught by 469 thousand teachers. It forms quite a substantial part of population of 100 million of the State of Maharashtra. Indian society respects education; and a family spends substantial time and resources on child’s education at home. A parallel and supportive system of private and home tutoring exists and may be involving nearly half a million tutors and 2-3 million parents. All this makes the school education quite big and complex; and needs different approach for its transformation. // The MKCL platform enable to design and develop Technology Mediated Open and Distance Education (Tech-MODE) that enables to support mega-systems by using processes of digitization, virtualization, and mass-personalization. Tech-MODE platform enables teachers and experts to offer their best quality course and activities. The first program of the I-CONSENT on Tech-MODE platform is of Virtual School and Learning Homes and would be launched from July 2006 as a pilot in one district of Maharashtra in India. // In partnership with the Consortium members, courses and activities are being developed and deployed. They include talent nurturing, linking school education with environment, society, industry and technology with participation of parents and community. The Workshop would present issues and concerns related to ICT for Educational Transformation, Direct Teacher Training System, Social and Educational Mobilisation and Consortium Approach. MKCL platform and Tech-MODE support for e-Education would be demonstrated. // Paper ID 473