from 28^th to 31^st January, 2002

The Open Schooling system has been pursuing a mission to provide education to those who have missed the opportunity to complete school education. It provides education through courses and programmes of general, life enrichment and vocational education from primary to pre-degree level. Both Formal and Alternative Schooling systems are required to take steps to meet the educational needs of the children who for various reasons are out of school. Keeping in view the nature of clientele, the Open Schooling System, with its structural flexibilities related to place of learning, time of learning, eligibility criteria, students’ choice in selecting combinations of subjects, and the scheme of examinations, a viable strategy for reaching the unreached may contribute to universalization of school education.

Commonwealth of Learning (COL)

Commonwealth of Learning (COL), Canada is an intergovernmental organisation created by Commonwealth Heads of Government to encourage the development and sharing of Open Learning and Distance Education knowledge, resources and technologies. The purpose of COL is to create and widen access to education and to improve its quality utilising distance education techniques.

The National Open School (NOS), an autonomous institution set up by Department of Education, Ministry of Human Resource Development, Government of India, has emerged as a unique organisation constituting in itself functions of Teaching Institution which adopts Open Learning and Distance Education Methodology and performs the role of the National Board in Open Schooling coupled with the quality assurance and resource support role of an Apex Agency at the National Level.

National Open School (NOS) shares with the Commonwealth of Learning (COL) the common concern to take education to the doors of disadvantaged groups of children and adults through Open Distance Learning. It is due to the close inter-linkage and collaborative endeavours that in recent times some significant developments have taken place towards strengthening of Open Schooling System through involvement of a good number of Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs). In fact this has opened up new chapters in Open Schooling for sharing of experience among Asian countries pertaining to some vital issues concerning qualitative improvement of basic education through Open Schooling. Open Learning has now come to be recognized globally as the potential strategy for realising the goals of Education for All (EFA). One of the emerging issues of present times relates to the need for developing programmes and activities in response to the local needs of various linguistic and cultural groups. It is in this context that more and more discussion has centred in and around the need for decentralising structural support system of Open Schooling at different levels. With this in focus the Goa Conference proposes to provide a forum for discussion and exchange of ideas for promotion of Open Schooling in the States by the State Governments/State Open Universities with professional support from NOS.

COL has proposed "Goa-II" Conference - Conference on Promotion of Open Schooling - was held at Goa from 28th January to 1st February, 2002. (The earlier Conference on Networking and Collaboration in Open Schooling was held at Goa from 21st to 23rd November, 1998.)

Objectives

1. Identification of need of Open Schooling and its Promotion in the States by setting up State Open Schools and strengthening the potential of existing State Open Schools for reaching the unreached.
2. Setting up 'Publicity and Advocacy Cells' in Open Schooling by States.
3. Suggesting alternative modalities for quality assurance and standards in Open Schooling.
4. Establishing Networking, Collaboration and Mutual Support System amongst State Open Schools, State Governments, State Open Universities, National Open School and MHRD.
5. Achieving Universal Basic (Elementary) Education through Open Schooling in view of education made as a fundamental right(6-14 age group) and introduction of Open Basic Education (OBEE) Programme at Centre & State levels.
6. Providing potential forums* at national and international levels for exchange of ideas and experiences and deliberations on issues and problems in Open Schooling.

The Conference has been sponsored by the Commonwealth of Learning (COL) and is being organised by the National Open School (NOS).

Participants in the Conference will include State/UT Education Secretaries, experts from India in addition to participants from the Commonwealth of Learning (COL), the Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD) and the National Open School (NOS).

TA/DA and other local hospitality including boarding and lodging of invited participants from India will be met by the organisers of the Conference. Venue for the Conference as also boarding and lodging for the participants will be at Hotel Cidade de Goa, Vainguinim Beach, Goa.

No funding in respect of international travel cost, board and lodging etc. of foreign participants, if any, would be provided by organisers of the Conference.