Pacific Partnership for Open, Distance, and Flexible Learning

04/23/2026

Strengthening the future of open distance and flexible learning (ODFL) in Samoa! 🇼🇸

This week in Apia, we reached another milestone in our mission to enhance ODFL. Following our regional workshop in Nadi, we held a national consultation co-hosted by the National University of Samoa (NUS).

It was an honour to have Vice Chancellor Professor Tuifuisa'a Patila Malua Amosa and the university’s senior management join us, demonstrating Samoa's strong commitment to educational innovation. Facilitated by Prof. Ioana Chan Mow (Senior Faculty & COL Focal Point) and led by Dr. Rajni Chand (Director of PACFOLD), the workshop focused on validating "problem trees" to ensure our ODFL strategies address the real-world constraints faced by Samoan educators, officials and CBO/NGOs.

Supported by 🇳🇿

04/22/2026

Grateful to Ms Lucy-Kumon Teekea, Director of Kiribati Teachers College and COL's Focal Point in the Ministry of Education, and to the leadership of the USP-Kiribati campus, for co-hosting a national consultation in Tarawa this week.

Led by Dr Rajni Chand, Director of PACFOLD, the session was a country-level follow-up to the regional consultations that involved ten Pacific SIDS (Nadi, late February 2026), this time validating the "problem trees" of constraints against the lived experience of Kiribati's teachers and administrators, and helping prioritise the ODFL activities that will have sustained impact. MFAT New Zealand: New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade The University of the South Pacific: Ministry of Education, Kiribati:

02/23/2026

Today in Nadi, Fiji, the Commonwealth of Learning (COL), in partnership with the University of the South Pacific (USP) and PACFOLD, formally launched the Regional Design Consultations for Phase 2 of the Pacific Partnership for Open, Distance and Flexible Learning (ODFL).

We are honoured to convene approximately 40 senior officials, academics, and technical experts from 11 Commonwealth nations across the region—including Australia and New Zealand—alongside a delegate from the Marshall Islands.

We extend our sincere appreciation to the Fiji Ministry of Education, represented at the inaugural session by the District Education Officer, for welcoming delegates to our host nation. We also recognise the vital support and active participation of our funding partner, the New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (MFAT), represented by Ms. Vena-Liz Upton.

Presiding over the launch, COL President Professor Peter Scott outlined the strategic architecture for the next decade of Pacific education. He noted that three core workstreams—capacity building for STEM educators, TVET pathways, and skills training for NEET Youth—will serve as the foundation of the programme. These pillars will be deeply interwoven with the "vines" of Gender Equality, Disability, and Social Inclusion (GEDSI) and Climate Change Resilience.

Over the next four days, delegates will engage in rigorous *Talanoa* to co-design systems that ensure education continuity, safeguard the vulnerable, and reach the Blue Pacific's "last mile."

02/06/2026

Happy New Zealand Day! With the support of New Zealand’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (MFAT), the Pacific Partnership for ODFL is strengthening education across the Pacific, and we look forward to continuing this collaboration to advance more equitable and inclusive learning for all.

Happy New Zealand Day!

Our ongoing collaboration with the New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (MFAT) in New Zealand has supported significant advances in ODFL delivery and quality across Fiji, Kiribati, Nauru, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu, and Vanuatu. With generous contributions from MFAT, the successful first phase of the Pacific Partnership for Open, Distance, and Flexible Learning has trained approximately 7,000 teachers, more than 950 STEM educators, and over 5,900 young people.

We look forward to continuing our work with the ministry and Pacific leaders to co-design a long-term vision for more equitable and inclusive learning across the region. As a major contributor to COL, New Zealand continues to play a vital role in expanding access to quality education throughout the Commonwealth.

01/24/2026

Teaching from outer islands

For many teachers in outer-island schools, professional development opportunities are limited by distance and connectivity. Nearly 1,000 STEM teachers strengthened their capacity to adapt and create learning resources, many of them working in remote or outer-island contexts.

This work was delivered through COL’s Pacific Partnership, supported by MFAT NZ and implemented with PACFOLD, responding directly to the realities faced by teachers in dispersed island settings.

Read the full report:
Final Evaluation Report (2020–2025): https://hdl.handle.net/11599/5959

01/23/2026

Happy World Education Day! Celebrating the power of youth, educators, and communities shaping inclusive education for a better future.

01/23/2026

Reading Time: 5 min readOnline, Distance, and Flexible Learning (ODFL) is opening doors for students who have been shut out of traditional classrooms. For learners who have to balance work, caregiving, disability, or for those who live...

01/20/2026

Read the full publication on OAsis: https://hdl.handle.net/11599/6097

📣 New publication alert!

Have you heard of Trainer-in-the-loop AI?

It’s an initiative from COL that empowers teachers by combining generative AI tools with human oversight, significantly reducing development timelines and costs while enhancing quality and scalability.

Our newest publication, Business Case for AI-Assisted OER Development in TVET: A Comparative Analysis of Traditional Versus AI-Enhanced Approaches, highlights the transformative power of Trainer-in-the-loop AI in creating Open Educational Resources (OER) for Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET).

To learn more, read the full publication on OAsis: https://hdl.handle.net/11599/6097

01/20/2026

From training to livelihood: youth pathways in Pacific communities

Across nine Pacific island countries, youth participating in short, skills-focused courses reported clearer pathways into employment or small enterprise. Around 5,900 young people completed training delivered through local NGO partners, with follow-up evidence indicating transitions into work or income-generating activities in multiple contexts.

These outcomes were linked to training that was locally delivered, flexible, and aligned with community realities. The Partnership for Open, Distance and Flexible Learning (ODFL) in the Pacific — supported by the New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, implemented by the Commonwealth of Learning and delivered in collaboration with PACFOLD — prioritised delivery through trusted local organisations.

Read the full report:
Final Evaluation Report (2020–2025)
https://hdl.handle.net/11599/5959

01/15/2026

EDUCATION MINISTER APPOINTED AS THE REGIONAL REPRESENTATIVE FOR PACIFIC REGION ON COMMONWEALTH OF LEARNING BOARD

The Minister for Education, Hon. Aseri Radrodro has been appointed as the Regional Representative for the Pacific Region on the Commonwealth of Learning (COL) Board of Governors for a term of three years.

This prestigious appointment is a strong recognition and appreciation of the Honourable Minister’s leadership, commitment to advancing education, and his continued advocacy for equitable, inclusive, and quality learning opportunities across Fiji and the wider Pacific region.

Speaking on his appointment, Hon. Radrodro stated, “I am deeply honoured by this opportunity to serve on the Board of Governors of an institution that has, for decades, played a transformative role in advancing open, distance, and technology-enabled learning across the Commonwealth, particularly for small island developing states and developing nations”.

“I am committed to ensuring that the voices, priorities, and aspirations of Pacific nations are meaningfully represented at the Board level, while contributing constructively to COL’s strategic direction, governance, and global mandate”.

The Commonwealth ofe Learning (COL) was established in 1987 by Commonwealth Heads of Government to create and widen access to opportunities for learning, making use of the potential offered by distance education and by the application of communication technologies to education.

The Education Minister’s extensive wealth of experience and knowledge of education and his commitment to improving educational opportunities nationally and within the Commonwealth, will benefit enormously in the development of COL in the coming years with his contributions to the body of knowledge.

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