For a small island state, flexible and future-ready education can make a big difference. As St Kitts and Nevis advances its Sustainable Island State Agenda, education and skills play an important role in building a more resilient and sustainable future.
COL has worked with the Ministry of Education to strengthen blended learning in TVET and mathematics teaching, expand the use of assistive technologies, and increase access to digital learning and open educational resources. Together, these efforts help learners gain skills for employment, adapt to changing labour markets and build climate change resilience.
St Kitts and Nevis also brings an important small-state perspective to the Commonwealth, including through the Virtual University for Small States of the Commonwealth. We celebrate St Kitts and Nevis' progress and wish the nation continued success as it invests in open education and expands learning opportunities for all.
With a ten-year investment from New Zealand’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (MFAT) in education, skills and resilient learning across the Pacific, the Commonwealth of Learning is launching the next phase of the Pacific Partnership for Open, Distance and Flexible Learning.
Running from 2026 to 2036, the partnership will work across Fiji, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Naoero, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu and Vanuatu. COL’s regional centre, the Pacific Centre for Flexible and Open Learning for Development (PACFOLD), hosted at the University of the South Pacific, will serve as a key delivery partner.
After a successful first phase that saw more than 7,200 educators enrol in professional development, around 5,900 young people complete community-based skills training and more than 300 Pacific-contextualised open educational resources developed, the next phase will embed what works within Pacific institutions and systems to make flexible learning a recognised, sustainable part of education and skills delivery. Gender equality, disability and social inclusion, alongside climate-change education and resilience, will be integrated across every programme output.
The goal is long-term Pacific ownership, with recognised skills, stronger institutions and flexible learning systems that can continue reaching learners wherever they live, including when disruption strikes.
“The ultimate goal is to foster a true learning society, a nation where education does not terminate at graduation, where adults can re-enter education seamlessly, and where learning is recognised as a vital form of national security,” said His Excellency Danny Faure, former President of the Republic of Seychelles and Chair of the Board of Governors of the Commonwealth of Learning (COL), speaking at the University of Seychelles (UniSey) Anniversary Lecture 2026.
Delivering the keynote address on “Reimagining Higher Education for Island Futures,” COL’s Chair reflected on Seychelles’ journey in higher education and UniSey’s critical role in shaping national development. He set out three fundamental tests for universities across island states: to remain relevant, affordable and resilient amid rapid technological change, shifting labour markets, growing climate pressures and evolving learner needs.
Looking ahead, his keynote urged universities to consider how they can better connect learning with a fast-changing world of work, prepare students to use artificial intelligence critically and responsibly, and create more flexible pathways that allow people to return to education throughout their lives. He also called on small island states to think differently about scale, acknowledging size not as a constraint, but as an advantage that can bring agility, close networks and the local expertise needed to respond quickly.
For a small island state, flexible and future-ready education can make a big difference. As St Kitts and Nevis advances its Sustainable Island State Agenda, education and skills play an important role in building a more resilient and
With a ten-year investment from New Zealand’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (MFAT) in education, skills and resilient learning across the Pacific, the Commonwealth of Learning is launching the next phase of the Pacific Partnership for Open, Distance and Flexible Learning.
“The ultimate goal is to foster a true learning society, a nation where education does not terminate at graduation, where adults can re-enter education seamlessly, and where learning is recognised as a vital form of national security,” said His Excellency Danny Faure, former
