Professor Asha KanwarPresident & CEO, Commonwealth of Learning

Commonwealth of Learning:Governance & Accreditation

Why COL?

Why in Vancouver?Why in

Vancouver?

Canada hosted two summits in 1987

Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting, Vancouver 1987

• Signed 1 September 1988

Memorandum of Understanding

“…to create and widen access to opportunities for learning, making use of the potential offered by distance education and by the application of communication technologies to education. COL’s activities will…strengthen member countries’ capacities to develop the human resources…”

MOU, CHOGM 1988, amended 1995

The purpose of COL is

• Headquarters’ Agreement

• Foreign Missions and International Organizations Act of Canada

• Income Tax of Canada

Regulatory Framework in Canada

Who are we?

COL’s Vancouver StaffDr. Linda

Sissons, Board Chair

Professor Asha Kanwar

President & CEO

Commonwealth governments make voluntary contributions to COL’s budget

Who supports COL?

The number of countries contributing rose from 23 in 2003-06 to 46 in 2013-14

Canada UKIndiaNigeria

New Zealand

AustraliaSouth Africa

COL Board of Governors, 2015

Metro Vancouver(Headquarters)

New Delhi(CEMCA)

Where is it?

Regional Office CEMCA• Countries:

Bangladesh, Brunei Darussalam, India, Malaysia, Maldives, Pakistan, Singapore and Sri Lanka

RETRIDOLR

eg

ion

al

Cen

tres

SADC-CDER

eg

ion

al

Cen

tres

COL in collaboration with the SADC CDE and the COMOSA Africa Chapter,

held a workshop in Maseru, Lesotho to develop Quality Criteria for peer

auditing of Open Schools in Mozambique and Lesotho.

PACFOLDR

eg

ion

al

Cen

tres

Country Reports 2012-2015

• Education Ministers: CCEM

• Foreign Ministers: CHOGM

Report to

• Report to COMSEC Board: annual written and oral report

• Report to own Board and its sub-committees: Audit; Executive

Accountability