About Commonwealth Educational Media Centre for Asia
Commonwealth Educational Media Centre for Asia (CEMCA) is an intergovernmental organisation that assists governments and institutions to expand the scale, efficiency, and quality of learning through online, open, distance and technology-enhanced methods by using traditional and modern technologies . Established by Commonwealth of Learning (COL), Canada and the Government of India (GOI), COL-CEMCA works in eight Commonwealth countries in Asia – Bangladesh, Brunei Darussalam, India, Malaysia, Maldives, Pakistan, Singapore, and Sri Lanka.
CEMCA Works in Eight Commonwealth Countries in Asia
What We Do
CEMCA supports formal education from secondary to tertiary levels across Commonwealth Asia in three areas: Higher Education, Open Schooling, & Teacher Education.
CEMCA supports formal, non-formal and informal education and training to equip learners for livelihoods through its Skills for Work initiative.
Community media serves as a powerful tool to amplify grassroots voices, foster local engagement, and catalyse social transformation.
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In response to the needs expressed by the Commonwealth countries of the Asian region for a more effective use of educational media resources for Distance Education, the Commonwealth of Learning (COL) established the Commonwealth Educational Media Centre..
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Cemca Col
📻 Col Cemca in collaboration with Reliance Foundation and Chitkara University, organised a tech-based training for Community Radio Station (CRS) managers on December 26, 2025. Speakers included Prof. Dr. Ashutosh Mishra, Dean and Director, Chitkara Radio, Mr S Senthilkumaran, Program Head, Reliance Foundation, Dr B. Shadrach, Director, COL-CEMCA and Ms. Monica Sharma, COL-CEMCA.
📱 The event focused on digital tools for community radio, covering content access and dissemination tools, feedback tools, and advanced features like text-to-audio conversion. The training aimed to enhance CRS effectiveness through technology-enabled content production and dissemination.
📌 Building upon this, a collaborative two-day practical training session with Reliance Foundation and Chitkara University is planned in the coming months, involving 40-50 participants.
For more details: cemca.org/press-releases/col-cemca-reliance-foundation-and-chitkara-university-organised-tech-bas…
#communityradio #TechForGood #RuralTransformation #colcemca #reliancefoundation #chitkarauniversity
The Commonwealth of Learning (COL) in collaboration with Netaji Subhas Open University (NSOU) jointly organised a three-Day Workshop on Course Enhancement for Graduate Employability, from 22–24 December 2025 at NSOU, Kolkata. Nine faculty members participated in the workshop.
The workshop kicked off with an inaugural session, where Prof. Anirban Ghosh Project Coordinator, NSOU, highlighted NSOU's commitment to embedding employability attributes.
Dr. B. Shadrach, Director, COL-CEMCA, underscored the importance of embedding future competencies such as digital skills, AI augmentation, and green skills into the curriculum as NSOU’s graduates enter the workforce.
Prof. Jane Frances Agbu, Adviser, Higher Education, COL, emphasised that employability-focused education is crucial for inclusive and sustainable development.
Dr. Soni Agarwal, Consultant, COL-CEMCA and trainer highlighted India's youth power and the huge scope for impact, bridging skill gaps with an enhanced curriculum. . The sessions included discussions on integrating employability skills and attributes in the course curriculum.
The workshop's most significant outcome was the identification and revamping of six skill-based courses from NSOU’s existing Four-Year Undergraduate (FYUG) programmes. All six course outlines are to be completed and submitted to COL-CEMCA by 15 January 2026.
For more details: cemca.org/press-releases/col-cemca-and-nsou-unite-for-an-employability-focused-course-revamp/
#Employability #Education #MSME #COLCEMCA #NSOU #GraduateEmployability #FutureSkills
Dr B. Shadrach Director, Commonwealth of Learning – Commonwealth Educational Media Centre for Asia (Col Cemca) and Prof Navin Chandra Lohani, Vice Chancellor, Uttarakhand Open University (UOU), met on 19 December 2025, at the COL-CEMCA office, New Delhi. The discussion encompasses three key areas of collaboration:
✅ Learners’ Dropout Project in the ODL System: A Pilot Project at UOU
✅ Launching NCVET recognised NSQF aligned skill based courses at UOU
✅ Launching a platform of Functional Community Radio Stations in Uttarakhand
The meeting paved the way for collaborative initiatives enhancing ODL in Uttarakhand. These efforts aim to promote inclusive, quality education and boost employability, strengthening UOU's impact.
For more details: cemca.org/press-releases/col-cemca-and-uou-collaborate-to-strengthen-education-in-uttarakhand/
#ODL #Education #Collaboration #Uttarakhand #CEMCA #UOU #CommunityRadio
The Col Cemca in collaboration with Dr D Y Patil Vidyapeeth, Pimpri, Pune (Deemed to be University) and its Internal Quality Assurance Cell (IQAC), successfully organised a five-day online Faculty Development Programme (FDP) from 16–20 December 2025 on “Empowering Higher Education Institutions in Technology-enabled and Blended Learning.” The programme witnessed the participation of over 100 faculty members from higher education institutions across India.
The FDP opened with opening remarks by Prof. Dr. Safia Farooqui, Director, COL, and Dr. D. Y. Patil Vidyapeeth, Pune, followed by the welcome address delivered by Dr. A. N. Suryakar, Director (Administration), Dr. D. Y. Patil Vidyapeeth, Pune. He highlighted that in the rapidly evolving educational landscape, technology is no longer a choice but a catalyst for transformation.
Dr. J. S. Bhawalkar, Registrar, Dr D Y Patil Vidyapeeth, Pune, underlined the importance of enabling faculty to understand and leverage technology-driven digital platforms and their expanding role in the Indian education system.
Dr. B. Shadrach, Director, COL-CEMCA, stressed that blended learning becomes meaningful only when courses and programmes are intentionally designed to provide rich learning experiences for students. He also called for rethinking the role of teachers as facilitators who actively engage learners and for redesigning institutions to meet the needs of 21st-century learners through effective blended learning models.
A week-long, 15-hour FDP at led by experts like Prof. Nilesh Modi, Dr. V. V. Subrahmanyam, Dr. Papiya Upadhyay, and Dr. Ashish Awhadiya, focused on transforming teaching with tech. Topics included tech-enabled learning, AI tools like ChatGPT, OERs, MOOCs, and employability skills via SWAYAM, empowering faculty to create future-ready, student-centred classrooms.
For more details: cemca.org/press-releases/col-cemca-and-dr-d-y-patil-vidyapeeth-organise-fdp-on-technology-enabled…
#BlendedLearning #FutureOfLearning #HigherEducation #FDP #TechnologyEnabledLearning #COLCEMCA #DYPatilVidyapeeth #NEP2020 #AIinEducation #EmployabilitySkills #FacultyDevelopment
Col Cemca, along with Sreenarayanaguru Open University (SGOU), Kerala, organised a two-day Online Capacity Building Workshop on Employability Enhancement using Results-Based Management (RBM) Framework from 17 – 18 December 2025.
Prof. (Dr.) Jagathy Raj V. P., Vice Chancellor, SGOU, appreciated the capacity building workshop which would empower the university's staff to develop a Results-Based Management (RBM) framework, ultimately boosting student employability.
Dr B. Shadrach, Director, COL-CEMCA, emphasised that Results-based management (RBM) is crucial for producing employable graduates, shifting focus from input oriented education to outcome oriented, real-world impact.
Dr Vidya Iyer, Consultant, CEMCA, also the expert trainer for the workshop, stressed the significant challenge and responsibility Open Universities face in ensuring students receive maximum benefits, positively impacting society. Aligning with the COL-CEMCA framework, Dr Iyer guided participants in developing an RBM framework, focusing on outcome oriented education.
🎯RBM framework benefits Open Universities by enhancing course relevance and effectiveness, improving student-facilitator relationships and fostering employability and entrepreneurship.
For more details: cemca.org/press-releases/enhancing-employability-through-results-based-management-at-sreenarayana…#RBM
#GraduateEmployabilityi#employabilityi#OpenUniversityr#educationa#colcemcaC#SGOU#SGOU
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Meet and Greet: Advancing Collaboration for Open and Inclusive Learning in India
During his visit to India, Professor Peter Scott, President and CEO of the Commonwealth of Learning (COL), met with education leaders, government officials, and ambassadors at the India Habitat
Advancing open and distance learning with global leadership from India
Professor Peter Scott, President and CEO of the Commonwealth of Learning (COL), delivered a keynote address at the Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) in New Delhi, one of the world’s largest and
IGNOU marks a milestone 40th Foundation Day, and opens new horizons in digital learning!
At the celebrations of the 40th Foundation Day of Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU), Professor Peter Scott, President & CEO of COL, joined Vice Chancellor of IGNOU, Prof Uma
COL is excited to announce that the newest issue of Connections is now live. It brings together the full story of PCF11, capturing the energy and key moments that shaped this year’s forum.
From ministerial dialogues to groundbreaking keynote insights, we distill highlights from