The President and CEO, Professor Asha Kanwar of Commonwealth of Learning (COL) and staff, welcomed the Right Honourable Patricia Scotland KC, Commonwealth Secretary-General, Commonwealth Secretariat, and a member of the COL Board of Governors, to Headquarters on 7 February 2023 where an overview of COL’s activities and areas of mutual interest were discussed.

These included improving access to education, the expanding role of open, distance and e-Learning, new strategies for supporting and investing in the blue economy, the Commonwealth Living Lands Charter, and progress towards sustainable development and the SDG targets.

Professor Kanwar commented, “The collaboration between COL and the Commonwealth Secretariat has increased substantially under the leadership of the Rt Hon Patricia Scotland, who is a strong supporter of COL.”

The Secretary-General said that the historical strengths of COL in open, distance and online learning were in evidence when it came to helping member countries stay resilient during Covid-19. Despite the global slowdown caused by the pandemic, the volume of digital economic transactions within the Commonwealth has continued to rise. This, along with new developments in AI and blockchain, can offer new opportunities for skilling and re-skilling the youth.