Online Colombo Plan

Unconference Canberra is this Saturday. So I am taking the opportunity to work up a presentation proposing an "Online Colombo Plan" for training Australian and Indian teachers jointly on-line in digital technology and entrepreneurship.

Online Colombo Plan

Proposal for Distance Education in Technology and Entrepreneurship to Train Teachers Jointly in Australia and India

By Tom Worthington FACS CP

IT Education for Sustainable Development

Australia and India can cooperate on e-learning to implement the UN Sustainable Development Goals to:

1. Train teachers in technology
2. Further understanding between the nations
3. Provide new education export industry for Australia

UN Sustainable Development Goals

Seventeen United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs):

"... end poverty ... protect the planet ... ensure prosperity for all ... foster peaceful, just and inclusive societies ... based on a spirit of strengthened global solidarity ..."

UN General Assembly resolution 70/17, Transforming our world: the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, A /RES/70/1 (21 October 2015). Retrieved from https://documents-dds-ny.un.org/doc/UNDOC/GEN/N15/291/89/PDF/N1529189.pdf

Quality Education

"Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all".
UN SDG 4, General Assembly resolution 70/17, p. 17, 2015.


General Assembly resolution 70/17, p. 17, 2015.

Partnerships for the Goals

SDG 17: "Enhance North-South, South-South and triangular regional and international cooperation on and access to science, technology and innovation and enhance knowledge sharing ..."

General Assembly resolution 70/17, p. 26, 2015.

India-Australia Cooperation on Education

“Supporting the mobility of students ... Sharing best practice education materials ... Supporting skills development ...”

(2015, August 24). Memorandum of understanding Between the Government of Australia and The Government of the Republic of India on Cooperation in the Fields of Education, Training and Research. Retrieved from http://www.australiaindiaeducation.com/app/webroot/img/userfiles/MOU_2015.pdf

Skills Development Initiatives in Indian Budget

• 1500 Multi Skill Training Institutes (MSTIs) as Public Private Partnerships (PPPs) 
• National Skill Certification Board (MSDE, 2016)

Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship Budget Highlights 2016-2017. 29 February 2016 New Delhi: Government of India. Retrieved from http://pib.gov.in/newsite/erelease.aspx?relid=137484

Free E-Learning Materials

• Engaging India, edX Course from ANU in English and Hindi
• Digital technology, courses for teachers, from University of Adelaide and Google
• An Introduction to Innovation, open access course module
• Commercialisation and Entrepreneurship, open access book

Australian Curriculum Technologies

• National Australian Digital Technologies Curriculum for all schools was endorsed 18 September 2015
• Thousands of teachers need to be trained
• Free Digital Curriculum Course for Teachers by University of Adelaide and Google

Four Colombo Plans

1. Colombo Plan, 1951: Western nations Cold War strategy against USSR, during which 20,000 university students from region educated in Australia (Oakman, p. 3, 2010).
2. Virtual Colombo Plan, 2001: $230M from Australian Government to support of DE programs based in developing countries, including the African Virtual University (Wolff, p.25, 2002).
3. New Colombo Plan, 2013: $100M for scholarships over five years to send Australian students to study in Indo-Pacific universities (New Colombo Plan Secretariat, 2013).
4. Digital Colombo Plan, 2015: AARnet proposal for fibre-optic link to region's educational institutions and for direct e-learning (AARnet, 2015).

Propose Certificate Programs for Indian Teachers

Align courses to Australian AITSL teaching standards
Deliver to smart phones using off-the-shelf free open access learning management system

More Information

Disclaimer: this is a proposal by the author and does not represent the views of any of the organizations mentioned.

References

(2015, August 24). Memorandum of understanding Between the Government of Australia and The Government of the Republic of India on Cooperation in the Fields of Education, Training and Research. Retrieved from http://www.australiaindiaeducation.com/app/webroot/img/userfiles/MOU_2015.pdf

AARnet. (2015, May 29). Draft National Strategy for International Education : AARNet Submission. Retrieved from https://submissions.education.gov.au/Forms/Draft-National-Strategy-for-International-Education-public-consultation/_layouts/SP.Submissions/ViewDoc.ashx?id=%7B8983b29c-3de0-474c-9c5a-5e335c901721%7D

New Colombo Plan Secretariat. (2013). New Colombo Plan: Guidelines Scholarship Program. Canberra:Australian Government. Retrieved fromhttp://www.dfat.gov.au/new-colombo-plan/downloads/ncp-guidelines-scholarship-program.pdf

Oakman, D. (2010). Facing Asia: a history of the Colombo Plan (p. 323). ANU Press. Retrieved from http://press.anu.edu.au/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/whole7.pdf

UN General Assembly resolution 70/17, Transforming our world: the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, A /RES/70/1 (21 October 2015). Retrieved from https://documents-dds-ny.un.org/doc/UNDOC/GEN/N15/291/89/PDF/N1529189.pdf

User:Tom Worthington/Books/Commercialisation and Entrepreneurship. (2016, April 3). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved from https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=User:Tom_Worthington/Books/Commercialisation_and_Entrepreneurship&oldid=713313890

Wolff, L. (2002). The African Virtual University: the challenge of higher education development in sub-Saharan Africa.  TechKnowLogia, International Journal of Technologies for the Advancement of Knowledge and Learning, 4(2). Retrieved from http://www.techknowlogia.org/TKL_Articles/PDF/384.pdf

Worthington, T. (2015, April 10). An Introduction to Innovation. Canberra:The Higher Education Whisperer. Retrieved from http://blog.highereducationwhisperer.com/2015/04/designing-innovation-course-part-3.html#ch419