Commonwealth Electronic Network for Schools and Education

A new Internet-based computer network has been established for Commonwealth countries. Known as the Commonwealth Electronic Network for Schools and Education - CENSE - this network will facilitate contact between national learning grids, schools and institutions throughout the Commonwealth. It will host Commonwealth information, provide support to teachers, learners and education administrators and promote the awareness and practice of local cultures.

The networking of schools through the Internet has been proceeding at a rapid pace in a number of Commonwealth countries, including Australia, Britain and Canada, and a few bilateral initiatives are leading to international connections between schools in pairs of countries. The potential value of such grids includes enhancing teaching and learning; as a powerful force to promote development; and as a vehicle to enhance the sharing of common values and knowledge about the Commonwealth throughout all its member states. This value was emphasised recently in Commonwealth fora, including the 13th Commonwealth Conference of Education Ministers in Botswana (July 1997) and the concurrent meeting of the Board of Governors of the Commonwealth of Learning (COL). All of these urged the Commonwealth Secretariat and COL to assist member countries to take advantage of the new opportunities provided by the revolution in information and communication technologies (ICTs) by translating this potential value into practical reality.

The Commonwealth Secretariat had already responded to earlier calls by member governments to develop mechanisms for the application of ICTs in promoting socio-economic development. The Commonwealth Network of IT for Development (COMNET-IT) was set up as a result, in collaboration with the Government of Malta. The response to the new mandates has been to create CENSE.

A Foundation Meeting was held at the Commonwealth of Learning in Vancouver, Canada, on 12-13 March to establish CENSE. The meeting was jointly convened and chaired by the Commonwealth Secretariat, COL and COMNET-IT. About 30 participants attended, including representatives of agencies and groups in Commonwealth countries who are actively involved in the development of school Internet grids at the national or international levels. Agreement was reached on establishing the network and on its major objectives and short term plans for action. CENSE is a flexible network that will grow in reach and complexity as more schools, national learning grids and institutions are connected and as more high quality resources for educators and learners become available.

The web site entry point for CENSE is http://www.col.org/cense. This web site provides connections to the national learning grids which have already been established or are being built up in a number of Commonwealth countries, including Australia, Britain, Canada, India, and South Africa; to important Commonwealth institutions that are contributing information and teaching resources, including the Commonwealth Institute and Royal Commonwealth Society; and to schools and other education sites throughout the Commonwealth.

In Malta, The Ministry of Education is committed to the introduction of the Internet in schools and has recently formalised an agreement with Maltacom for the supply of Internet access. This will cover all schools, from primary to post-secondary, over a four-year period. The Ministry now intends to participate in the Commonwealth Schools and Education Network and to collaborate with COMNET-IT and other Commonwealth agencies in this area.

Information notes

Commonwealth Secretariat

The Commonwealth Secretariat is an inter-governmental organisation, created by Commonwealth Heads of Government and established in London in 1965 to serve the needs of the 54 member states. The Secretariat aids member countries with technical assistance and capacity building through the work of its functional divisions, supported by the Commonwealth Fund for Technical Co-operation. Policy development and technical assistance in the fields of education and human development, including the applications of information and communication technologies in these areas, are led by the Education Department, located in the Human Resource Development Division.

For more information, please contact:

Stephen Matlin - Director
Human Resource Development Division
Commonwealth Secretariat
Marlborough House
Pall Mall
London SW1Y 5HX

Tel: +44-171-747 6280
Fax: +44-171-747 6287
e-mail: s.matlin@commonwealth.int
Web site: http://www.thecommonwealth.org

The Commonwealth of Learning

Founded in 1987, The Commonwealth of Learning was inspired by the vision that the peoples of the Commonwealth must and can have access to knowledge, regardless of where they live and whether they are rich or poor. Member governments have given COL a mandate to encourage the development and sharing of open learning/distance education materials, expertise, technologies and other resources. Working with and providing services to hundreds of institutions throughout the 54-member Commonwealth, COL is helping to increase the capacities of developing nations to meet the demands for improving access to quality education and training.

For more information, please contact:

Dave Wilson - Public Affairs Officer
The Commonwealth Of Learning
1285 West Broadway, Suite 600
Vancouver, BC V6H 3X8
Canada

Tel: +1-604-775 8259
Fax: +1-604-775 8210
e-mail: dwilson@col.org
Web site: http://www.col.org

COMNET-IT

COMNET-IT is an international foundation registered in Malta, committed to economic and social development through the application of information and communication technologies. Its primary activities are policy awareness and capability building, Internet-based development and low level infrastructure development. Application areas of main focus are Electronic Commerce; Public Administration; Education and Distance Learning; and Institutional Networking. COMNET-IT is sponsored by the Government of Malta and the Commonwealth Secretariat in London.

For more information, please contact:

Henry Alamango - Executive Director
COMNET-IT
Gattard House
National Road
Blata l-Bajda HMR-02
Malta

Tel: +356-2599 2193
Fax: +356 -2599 2701
e-mail: henry.d.alamango@magnet.mt
Web site: http://www.comnet.mt

For information on the Malta initiative, please contact:

Lawrence Zammit - Assistant Director of Education
Information and Communications Technology Centre (ICTC)
Education Division
Floriana
Malta