SAARC Consortium on Open and Distance Learning
Encyclopedia
The SAARC Consortium on Open and Distance Learning (SACODiL) is a regional cooperation agency set up under the auspices of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation
(SAARC) with the objectives of promoting cooperation and collaboration among institutions imparting knowledge through open and distance learning within member states, and promoting its use as a viable and cost effective method of imparting quality education at all levels.
, Sri Lanka
, a declaration was made on July 31, 1998 that; amongst other matters; mandated the establishment of a SAARC Forum of Vice Chancellors of Open Universities. This Forum, consisting of regional leaders in the field, should strengthen cooperation in areas such as the sharing and joint development of programmes, credit transfers for specific programmes and the translation of existing programmes .
The Forum first met in Colombo, Sri Lanka on January 25-27, 1999 and during the course of the meeting, deliberated in depth the operational modalities of the Forum including its objectives and membership. A Task Force, comprising the four Vice-Chancellors of Bangladesh
, India
, Pakistan
and Sri Lanka
and delegates from Bhutan
, Maldives
and Nepal
, was formed which recommended, inter alia, that the organisation be designated as the SAARC Consortium of Open and Distance Learning (SACODiL) .
The Task Force was eventually redesignated as the SACODiL Task Force met on August 23-25, 1999 at the SAARC Secretariat and proposed a regional mechanism for cooperation and collaboration in the SAARC region, and to promote the use of open and distance learning at all levels of education. The proposal identified the objectives of the SACODiL as joint development of programmes/courses, evolving mechanisms for credit transfer, accumulation and accreditation, sharing information technology to reach out to remote areas and under-privileged people and other matters relating to achieving the goals spelt out by the Vice-Chancellors during their Colombo Meeting .
The SAARC Forum of Vice Chancellors met for the second time on December 2-3, 2002 in New Delhi
, India and a decision was made to operate SACODiL through a rotational Secretariat. The Board of Governors of SACODiL comprising the Vice Chancellors of National Open Universities or Heads of major open and distance learning institutions or educational bodies as well as National Focal Points of SAARC in the foreign ministries of the SAARC Member States and representation of the SAARC Secretary General was also constituted in this meeting .
The current Secretariat of SACODiL is the Bangladesh Open University
in Dhaka, Bangladesh.
Participating institutions of SACODiL include :
South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation
The South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation is an organisation of South Asian nations, founded in December 1985 by Ziaur Rahman and dedicated to economic, technological, social, and cultural development emphasising collective self-reliance. Its seven founding members are Bangladesh,...
(SAARC) with the objectives of promoting cooperation and collaboration among institutions imparting knowledge through open and distance learning within member states, and promoting its use as a viable and cost effective method of imparting quality education at all levels.
History
During the Tenth SAARC Summit held in ColomboColombo
Colombo is the largest city of Sri Lanka. It is located on the west coast of the island and adjacent to Sri Jayawardenapura Kotte, the capital of Sri Lanka. Colombo is often referred to as the capital of the country, since Sri Jayawardenapura Kotte is a satellite city of Colombo...
, Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka is a country off the southern coast of the Indian subcontinent. Known until 1972 as Ceylon , Sri Lanka is an island surrounded by the Indian Ocean, the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Strait, and lies in the vicinity of India and the...
, a declaration was made on July 31, 1998 that; amongst other matters; mandated the establishment of a SAARC Forum of Vice Chancellors of Open Universities. This Forum, consisting of regional leaders in the field, should strengthen cooperation in areas such as the sharing and joint development of programmes, credit transfers for specific programmes and the translation of existing programmes .
The Forum first met in Colombo, Sri Lanka on January 25-27, 1999 and during the course of the meeting, deliberated in depth the operational modalities of the Forum including its objectives and membership. A Task Force, comprising the four Vice-Chancellors of Bangladesh
Bangladesh
Bangladesh , officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh is a sovereign state located in South Asia. It is bordered by India on all sides except for a small border with Burma to the far southeast and by the Bay of Bengal to the south...
, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
, Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
and Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka is a country off the southern coast of the Indian subcontinent. Known until 1972 as Ceylon , Sri Lanka is an island surrounded by the Indian Ocean, the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Strait, and lies in the vicinity of India and the...
and delegates from Bhutan
Bhutan
Bhutan , officially the Kingdom of Bhutan, is a landlocked state in South Asia, located at the eastern end of the Himalayas and bordered to the south, east and west by the Republic of India and to the north by the People's Republic of China...
, Maldives
Maldives
The Maldives , , officially Republic of Maldives , also referred to as the Maldive Islands, is an island nation in the Indian Ocean formed by a double chain of twenty-six atolls oriented north-south off India's Lakshadweep islands, between Minicoy Island and...
and Nepal
Nepal
Nepal , officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal, is a landlocked sovereign state located in South Asia. It is located in the Himalayas and bordered to the north by the People's Republic of China, and to the south, east, and west by the Republic of India...
, was formed which recommended, inter alia, that the organisation be designated as the SAARC Consortium of Open and Distance Learning (SACODiL) .
The Task Force was eventually redesignated as the SACODiL Task Force met on August 23-25, 1999 at the SAARC Secretariat and proposed a regional mechanism for cooperation and collaboration in the SAARC region, and to promote the use of open and distance learning at all levels of education. The proposal identified the objectives of the SACODiL as joint development of programmes/courses, evolving mechanisms for credit transfer, accumulation and accreditation, sharing information technology to reach out to remote areas and under-privileged people and other matters relating to achieving the goals spelt out by the Vice-Chancellors during their Colombo Meeting .
The SAARC Forum of Vice Chancellors met for the second time on December 2-3, 2002 in New Delhi
New Delhi
New Delhi is the capital city of India. It serves as the centre of the Government of India and the Government of the National Capital Territory of Delhi. New Delhi is situated within the metropolis of Delhi. It is one of the nine districts of Delhi Union Territory. The total area of the city is...
, India and a decision was made to operate SACODiL through a rotational Secretariat. The Board of Governors of SACODiL comprising the Vice Chancellors of National Open Universities or Heads of major open and distance learning institutions or educational bodies as well as National Focal Points of SAARC in the foreign ministries of the SAARC Member States and representation of the SAARC Secretary General was also constituted in this meeting .
The current Secretariat of SACODiL is the Bangladesh Open University
Bangladesh Open University
The Bangladesh Open University or BOU is a national university with its headquarters in Board Bazar, Gazipur District, Dhaka Division. The university was established on October 21, 1992 when the Parliament of Bangladesh passed and gazetted the Bangladesh Open University Act, 1992.As the only...
in Dhaka, Bangladesh.
Participating institutions
- note: this section is not complete due to lack of information
Participating institutions of SACODiL include :
- Bangladesh
- Bangladesh Open UniversityBangladesh Open UniversityThe Bangladesh Open University or BOU is a national university with its headquarters in Board Bazar, Gazipur District, Dhaka Division. The university was established on October 21, 1992 when the Parliament of Bangladesh passed and gazetted the Bangladesh Open University Act, 1992.As the only...
- India
- Indira Gandhi National Open UniversityIndira Gandhi National Open UniversityThe Indira Gandhi National Open University , known as IGNOU is a national university with its headquarters in New Delhi, Delhi, India. Named after former Prime Minister of India, Indira Gandhi, the university was established in 1985 with a budget of 2000 crore, when the Parliament of India passed...
- Pakistan
- Allama Iqbal Open UniversityAllama Iqbal Open UniversityAllama Iqbal Open University , founded in 1974, is a university in Islamabad, Pakistan. It is one of the world's largest universities by enrollment, with 1,121,038 students in the year 2010 whereas Course Enrollment of these students are 3,305,948 -History:Allama Iqbal Open University was...
- Sri Lanka
- Open University of Sri LankaOpen University of Sri LankaThe Open University of Sri Lanka is a national university in Sri Lanka. It is unique within the Sri Lankan national university system for being the only university to offer programmes of study leading to certificate, diploma, degree, postgraduate diploma and postgraduate degree through the...