PCF10: Special session for the Pacific

Education ministers, senior officials and conference delegates attended one of PCF10’s most anticipated parallel sessions — “Strategies and solutions for ODFL in the Pacific Region.” The event, attended by about 40 participants, was co-chaired by the Honourable Fiame Naomi Mata’afa, Prime Minister of Samoa and Professor Asha Kanwar, President and CEO, COL. The partnership for open, distance and flexible learning in the Pacific is a COL project supported by New Zealand, providing professional development for technical and vocational education in the developing region.

The Prime Minister of Samoa said ODFL is an important channel for increasing educational opportunities and outcomes, and is especially relevant for the Pacific region, given the small and dispersed remote populations, plus limited access to secondary and post-secondary opportunities. Despite the importance of ODFL in the region, she stated there had been limited investment to date with a need for increased investment in multiple ways. Covid-19 further reinforced the requirement for the Pacific region to be well-prepared outside of the traditional teaching mode, as Samoa continues to experience existential challenges and gaps to Internet access, insufficient online curriculum material and the capacity of teachers and students to utilise technology.

Professor Kanwar added that, “while 15 to 20 per cent of public spending must ideally be allocated to education, this may take time. Meanwhile, ODFL is a tried and tested option to provide quality education at scale.”