MODFL/Understanding ODFL/Role

Open schooling is the provision of schooling (teaching and learning) opportunities making use of open, distance and innovative e-Learning methods which do not necessarily require teachers and learners to be in the same place at the same time. It refers to the physical separation of the school level learner from the teacher, and the use of unconventional teaching methodologies and information and communications technologies (ICTs) to bridge the separation and provide education and training, (COL, 2023)18 .

Traditionally, open schools have been popular for providing alternative opportunities for young people to complete their school education. These are people who, for one reason or another are not able to participate in a traditional physical school. The open school model is underpinned by the principle that if the child cannot go to school, the school should come to the child. Open schooling is a cost-effective means of reaching learners who would otherwise not have the opportunity, (Kanwar,(2020)¹⁹

Although they mostly address the challenge of access to schooling, open schools offer a diverse curriculum which also includes vocational and skills training courses. These courses are attractive to out-of-school youths and adolescents who need to gain skills and competencies for employment purposes. Due to the flexibility of delivery, many young people are able to participate in the courses.

But quality of learning matters

If open schools are to be attractive, they should not replicate the same problems that traditional schools are shunned for. For example, studies have revealed that some of the challenges that impede equal access in the Pacific Island countries include:

• Inadequate access to learning facilities and a limited number of schools in rural areas,
• A lack of engaging learning materials and insufficient teaching and learning resources,
• A shortage of teachers (especially in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) education),
• Poor Information and Communications Technology (ICT) infrastructure and support,
• Violence in schools, and
• Hidden costs (e.g., clothing, books and transportation), Narayan, (2021)²⁰.

Activity 5

This activity should take you about 20 – 25 minutes to complete.

Choose any two of the above impediments to successful learning in schools and explain how you would address them in your open school to attract learners and make them succeed. Share your ideas with peers in the discussion forum.

Click here to post your thoughts

Feedback and comment on Activity 5

• Inadequate access to learning facilities and limited schools in rural areas: To address this problem, you probably mentioned mobilising resources for your open school to enrol many of the out -of-school learners, setting up outlying centres where your open school learners can go for occasional support, and providing resources for open school learners to succeed.
• A lack of engaging learning materials and insufficient teaching and learning resources: Investing in improving learning resources, possibly using OER; ensuring that learning resources are carefully developed and by people with expertise in independent learning.
• A shortage of teachers: Inducting part-time facilitators so they know how to support open school learners.
• Poor Information and Communications Technology (ICT) infrastructure and support: Investing in paper-based materials and retaining face-to-face support, which is decentralised for the convenience of learners until the ITC infrastructure is improved The long-term goal should be digitised curricula and access to online support for everyone everywhere.
• Violence in schools: At least open school learners hardly come to school, so this would not be much of a problem, although with online provision we have to be proactive about cyber-security and cyber-bullying. Where learners attend occasional face-to-face classes, the open school would have to mobilise community support to control violence at centres of learning. This would be coupled with local police, where possible.
• Hidden costs: Getting rid of requirements of uniform, encouraging more use of OER in place of textbooks, minimising or even getting rid of face-to-face sessions that involve student travel, decentralising study centres to minimise distances travelled by students.

Working with its partners, the Commonwealth of Learning (COL) has done an incredible amount of work in open schooling and has a rich collection of resources on the subject. If you want to understand more about open schools, read pages 11 – 20 of the resource: Addressing the Learning Needs of Out-of-School Children and Youths through the Expansion of Open Schooling. The resource is available on this link: http://hdl.handle.net/11599/3731