Fourth roundtable for Vice-Chancellors and Heads

The roundtable of Vice-Chancellors and Heads of ODL institutions was held in Penang, Malaysia in late July. This is the fourth edition of the roundtable organised by COL for senior leaders of ODL institutions. The Asia e University (AeU) partnered with COL in organising the event. About 30 leaders from 15 countries attended the event where the focus of the discussions centred on quality of higher education in the context of SDGs. Professor Asha Kanwar, in her inaugural presentation, gave an overview of the issues and developments that have impacted education during Covid–19 while highlighting the benefits of the ODL paradigm. In a post-Covid era, there is a need for campus-based institutions to learn from the experience of ODL institutions alongside an increasing recognition of the role of universities in achieving SDG4.