International Perspectives on Open Learning and Distance Education

Abstract

International Perspectives on Open Learning and Distance Education, National Forum on Open Learning and Distance Education, The Gambia 12-14 April, 2005, by: Sir John Daniel President & CEO Commonwealth of Learning // The title of my presentation today is International Perspectives in Open Learning and Distance Education. // I shall begin be recalling what open learning and distance education are. Then I shall review briefly some of the history, show why open learning and distance education are important, and identify the important trends today. This will lead me, in a third section, not only to take an international perspective but to draw from it conclusions for The Gambia. // This is a Forum about policy making. Helping governments to develop policies on open and distance learning is COL's main programme and I shall argue for the importance of policy making. Policy making takes place in a context and I shall suggest that the context for us here is the development agenda expressed in the Millennium Development Goals and, most particularly, the agenda of Education for All set at Dakar nearly five years ago.