On 15 October 2026, the Commonwealth of Learning – Commonwealth Educational Media Centre for Asia (COL-CEMCA) convened students from Botswana, Lesotho, Mozambique, Rwanda and Zambia for the regional launch of their country cohorts under the Commonwealth Student Community for AI Governance. The virtual convening brought together student perspectives on how AI should be developed, accessed and governed in their national contexts.

The Commonwealth Educational Media Centre for Asia (COL-CEMCA) in collaboration with Uttarakhand Open University (UOU), Haldwani, organised a one-day workshop on the development of the Tour Guiding and Escorting Skills course in blended learning mode under the Graduate Employability Skills Project, on 16 October 2026. The workshop brought together faculty members to deliberate on course design, content development and the integration of practical skills to strengthen graduate employability in Uttarakhand’s tourism sector.

The Commonwealth Educational Media Centre for Asia (COL-CEMCA), in collaboration with Netaji Subhas Open University (NSOU), Kolkata, organised a webinar on Designing Courses for Blended Learning under the Graduate Employability Project, on 13 October 2026. The webinar brought together faculty members of NSOU to explore approaches to designing blended courses that integrate academic learning, practical skills and technology-enabled pedagogy.

Tanzania – 9 October 2026: How can AI reflect Tanzania’s local context, protect personal data and support learning without undermining students’ critical thinking? These questions shaped the launch of the Tanzania Cohort of the Commonwealth Student Community for AI Governance, convened virtually by COL-CEMCA.

The Department of Inclusive Education (DoIE), Ministry of Education, Maldives, is marking Specific Learning Disabilities (SLD) Awareness Month this October through a Go Red campaign on its social media channels. Ministers, senior officials and education professionals are sharing why they go red, using personal messages to highlight the importance of inclusive education and the need to create learning environments where every learner can thrive.

The campaign builds on the Maldives’ growing efforts to raise awareness of SLD, supported by sustained collaboration among the Department of Inclusive Education (DoIE) and the Commonwealth of Learning – Commonwealth Educational Media Centre for Asia (COL-CEMCA). Following the Maldives’ participation in the COL-CEMCA pre-conference workshop on designing a teacher competency framework for inclusive education in Gaborone, Botswana, on 9 September 2025, the Go Red initiative gained momentum nationally. Last year, students in the Maldives wore red to raise awareness of SLD. This October, DoIE has taken the lead in extending the campaign to policymakers, education officials and professionals, bringing the message of inclusion to a wider audience.