POLICY WORK

ICDE is actively engaged in policy. Throughout 2015, governments, associations and institutions were focused on setting the Education 2030 agenda. For higher education, one has to respond to the scale and urgency of need for higher education in the period 2015 to 2030, as student enrolments are expected to more than double from 200 million to 430 million by 2030. Quality online, open and flexible quality education represents a core strategy for meeting this expected massive growth in student demand.

timeline

November 2013

A Policy Forum, co-organized with UNESCO, was held within the annual ICDE Standing Conference of Presidents (SCOP), Lisbon, Portugal. The Forum took the theme "Directions and challenges for government and institutions when post-secondary education moves into the MOOC territory: public policies and institutional strategies in the digital learning age", and sought to identify a possible joint agenda for change. This produced the ICDE Policy Forum 2013 report.pdf.

NOVEMBER 2014

As part of the Presidents' Summit in Bali, ICDE in partnership with UNESCO held the High Level Policy Forum. The theme was: “Ensure Equitable Quality Education and Lifelong Learning for All by 2030: The Contribution of Open, Online and Flexible Higher Education to the Post-2015 Global Education Agenda”. This produced the Bali Message.

MAY 2015

ICDE participated in two major events - the Qingdao International Conference on ICT and Post-2015 Education and the World Education Forum 2015 in Incheon. The International Conference on ICT and Post-2015 Education produced the Qingdao Declaration, while the World Education Forum 2015 produced the Incheon Declaration.

JUNE 2015

UNESCO in partnership with ICDE held the Global High Level Policy Forum in Paris. The theme was: "Online, Open and Flexible Higher Education for the Future We Want. From Statements to Action: Equity, Access and Quality Learning Outcomes". This produced the Paris Message.

OCTOBER 2015

As part of the Presidents' Summit in Pretoria, ICDE in partnership with UNESCO, Commonwealth of Learning and Open Education Consortium and hosted by the University of South Africa (UNISA) held the High Level Policy Forum. The theme was: "Higher education for the sustainable future we want. The way ahead for Online, Open and Flexible learning: Opportunities and Actions". See news from the High Level Policy Forum.

May 2017

The Visionary Leadership for Digital Transformation was organized in partnership with ICDE, UNESCO and the project D-Transform, who together take the initiative to mobilise globally for visionary leadership of digital transformation of higher education. The event addressed a call for action on the key opportunities and issues for fostering and implementing good governance and visionary leadership for digital transformation in higher education. Below you can find information on the programme, registration for information and venue. See more on the Visionary Leadership for Digital Transformation.

ICDE KNOWLEDGE HUB:POLICY RESOURCES

Knowledge Hub, Reports, Events etc.

DEASA: Draft Policy Brief SADC-ODeL Response to Covid-19

The purpose of the policy brief is to advocate for urgent development of appropriate policies and strategies to fully enable remote online teaching and learning, and to guide the adoption and implementation of open, distance and online learning policies, models and systems for teaching and learning during – and after – the Covid-19 pandemic.

Watch the SEAMEO Ministerial Policy e-Forum

During the first virtual gathering of 10 Education Ministers and one Senior High Official of SEAMEO Member Countries participants shared their best practices and their responses to school lockdowns due to COVID-19 Pandemic.

Recommendation on Open Educational Resources ( OER)

UNESCO OER Recommendation ( Available in multiple languages)

The Recommendation on Open Educational Resources was adopted unanimously by UNESCO’s General Conference at its 40th session in November 2019.

Cape Town Open Education Declaration: After 10 Years

Cape Town Open Education Declaration: Unlocking the promise of open educational resources

In honor of the ten years anniversary, a look back was taken and the CPT10+ was launched, where 10 ten key directions to move open education forward were identified

Cape Town Open Education Declaration: Unlocking the promise of open educational resources

The Cape Town Open Education Declaration arises from a small but lively meeting convened in Cape Town in September 2007. The aim of this meeting was to accelerate efforts to promote open resources, technology and teaching practices in education.

UNESCO: Draft Recommendation on Open Educational Resources

The UNESCO OER recommendations were adopted by the member countries on 25 November 2019 after intensive work for 4 years of conferences, declarations and consultations.

The UNESCO quality initiative well underway

UNESCO plans for organising the Global conference on Quality Assurance in Higher Education, in Paris, France, 21 – 23 November 2018, indicated target 700 participants by invitation.

Final Document Of The Ugra Declaration: On Preserving Languages And Promoting Linguistic Diversity In Cyberspace For Inclusive Sustainable Development

Read the final document here.

Visionary Leadership For Digital Transformation, 2017

The event was organized in partnership with ICDE, UNESCO and the project D-Transform, who together took the initiative to mobilise globally for visionary leadership of digital transformation of higher education.

Policy Briefs, OER

As Open Educational Resources (OER) move higher on the educational agenda for many countries, the uptake of OER in languages which are less used than world languages (particularly English) is lagging.

Global Education Monitoring Report launched with urgent call to prioritize education to reach SDGs

In May 2015, the World Education Forum in Incheon (Republic of Korea), brought together 1,600 participants from 160 countries with a single goal in mind: how to ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and lifelong learning for all by 2030?

CHEA and IIEP-UNESCO Issue Advisory Statement on Combating Corruption in Higher Education

A call to action that highlights the problems posed by academic corruption in higher education and suggests ways that quality assurance bodies, government and higher education institutions around the world can combat corruption.

UNESCO presents new finance model that could triple the availability of textbooks

A study by UNESCO’s Global Education Monitoring Report (GEM)* proposes an economic model that would help reduce the cost of textbooks and increase their availability to students in schools around the world.

Global partnership for ICT in education on its way

The report of the International Conference on ICT and Post-2015 Education: “Leveraging ICT to Achieve the Post-2015 Education Goal” is now available here.

Education 2030 Framework for Action has been adopted

The Education 2030 Framework for Action (FFA) "Towards inclusive and equitable quality education and lifelong learning for all", provides guidance to countries for the implementation of the new Sustainable Development Goal 4, SDG4, Education 2030 agenda.

How online, open and flexible support learning will support a sustainable future - a call for action High Level Policy Forum, Pretoria, 17 October 2015

News release from the International Council for Open and Distance Education (ICDE), UNESCO, Commonwealth of Learning (COL), Open Education Consortium (OEC) and the University of South Africa (UNISA).

High Level Policy Forum, Pretoria, 17 October 2015

News release from the International Council for Open and Distance Education (ICDE), UNESCO, Commonwealth of Learning (COL), Open Education Consortium (OEC) and the University of South Africa (UNISA).

High Level Policy Forum, Pretoria, 17 October 2015

The day after the 26th ICDE World Conference in South Africa, 130 leaders from universities, colleges, regional, transnational and international associations as well as global networks gathered together.

26th ICDE World Conference, ICDE Presidents' Summit and High Level Policy Forum (13-17 October 2015, South Africa)

The conference, attended by nearly 1,000 participants from 67 countries across the globe, was a ‘three in one’ event. Three events ran at the same time – the world conference itself, the ICDE Presidents’ Summit and the High Level Policy Forum.

Paris Message, 2015

The Paris Message has been issued by the Global High Level Policy Forum, organized by UNESCO in partnership with ICDE, held in Paris in June 2015. Over 150 participants – leading policy-makers, experts, senior management and stakeholders from higher education from all regions and more than 55 countries around the world - agreed to carry this message forward to their home countries and regions.

ICDE - UNESCO Policy Forum on open, online and flexible learning calls for actions by governments, higher education institutions and faculty

Access to, and success in, open, online and flexible learning are key solutions to the pressing development challenges and needs of 21st century societies, emphasizes the November 2014 Bali message by ICDE’s higher education leaders.

Policy Brief - Open Educational Resources in your Own Language, in your Way

This policy brief, authored by a team of ICDE staff as part of the LangOER project, suggests policy recommendations for governments to take action for the development of OER in Less Used Languages.

UNESCO World Education Forum 2015 Declaration

ICDE is participating in two UNESCO events in Asia this month.

Bali Message, 2014

The 2014 ICDE - UNESCO Policy Forum brought together decision-makers in government and senior management in higher education institutions.

Global High Level Policy Forum 2015

Over 150 participants from more than 55 countries around the world participated in the Global High Level Policy Forum, organized by UNESCO in partnership with ICDE.

ICDE’s active engagement in the UNESCO post-2015 Global Education Agenda

ICDE is actively engaged in developing the policy stream - or ’red thread’ - that links three major events in Bali, Paris and Pretoria.

Challenges for education: report on the 2013 ICDE Policy Forum

ICDE - UNESCO Policy Forum on open, online and flexible learning calls for actions by governments, higher education institutions and faculty (2014)

Challenges For Education: Report On The 2013 ICDE Policy Forum

A Policy Forum, co-organized with UNESCO, was held within the annual ICDE Standing Conference of Presidents (SCOP) meeting at the end of last year in Lisbon, Portugal.

ICDE policy briefing published (2013)

Following the ICDE sponsored study of regulatory frameworks for distance education, a policy brief has been developed on open and distance education and its place in modern education systems.