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ODLAA Conference
February 5, 2017 - February 7, 2017
Open & Distance Learning Association of Australia
Theme: ‘Expanding Horizons in Open & Distance Learning’.
Keynote presentation by COL VP Dr K. Balasubramaniam (Bala). Bala is the Vice President of the Commonwealth of Learning (COL). Bala has more than 30 years of experience in the field of sustainable development with specific focus on marginalized groups. In Commonwealth of Learning (COL) , he has been working in the area of non-formal learning and lifelong learning particularly among women since 2009.
His areas of specialisations include, participatory development, programme planning and management in agriculture and rural development, gender and ICT-enabled non-formal learning. Bala has contributed papers in peer reviewed journals and has participated in policy development activities in Asia, Africa, Caribbean and Pacific. He has a PhD degree from Bangalore University in sociology.
Keynote: Impact, structure and functions of lifelong learning using ICT and ODL
Reaching the unreached is one of the biggest challenges in the education system. More than 17% of the world’s adult population is still not literate and two thirds of them are women. A large number of people in Asia and Africa do not have access to proper schooling as well as tertiary education. Non-formal education is seen as a panacea. However, reaching a large number of people with non-formal education is still a challenge. The rise of Open and Distance Learning during the last six decades, and the innovations in information and communication technology (ICT) are offering new avenues to address these issues. However, using the conventional pedagogy to address these issues may not help to solve the challenges.
COL’s initiative “Lifelong Learning for Farmers “(L3F) has been adopting a new approach which is described in this presentation. Through a study among women’s groups in rural Kenya and Tanzania, this presentation attempts to trace the structure and functions of lifelong learning using ICT and ODL and discerns its impact in terms of empowerment and livelihood.