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Notes for Remarks to Commonwealth Heads of Government Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting, 2003 (CHOGM) Abuja, Nigeria, 5 December 2003 by Mr. Lewis Perinbam, O.C. Chairman of the Board of Governors Commonwealth of Learning // Mr. President, Your Excellencies, Mr. Secretary-General: As the new Chairman of the Commonwealth of Learning I am grateful for the honour to address you on behalf of it's Board of Governors. I count it a privilege to have been asked to become its Chairman. // When COL was established former Commonwealth Secretary-General Shridath Ramphal, noted that, "it is not often that ideas emerge which stir the imagination and beckon people to work for their fulfilment." COL is one such idea and it is to the credit of Commonwealth Heads of Government that they seized on it when they created the Commonwealth of Learning in Vancouver fifteen years ago. It was a bold and imaginative initiative - an act of faith that has been more than fulfilled. COL is now established as the premier multilateral organisation in open and distance learning. In creating it, Commonwealth Heads of Government have forged new paths for the educational advancement of Commonwealth countries and to bring education within the reach of the Commonwealth's peoples. This is the significance of your action - it is your achievement and it should be a source of pride to all Commonwealth Heads of Government. COL's Report entitled "The World of Knowledge" which your Delegations have received will give you a glimpse of some of COL's accomplishments in the past three years. We would welcome your reactions to it. // I wish to express the gratitude of COL's Board of Governors to your governments for your generous financial, as well as in-kind support. For its part, COL's record speaks for itself. It enjoys widespread respect because it is an agency which recognises that the services it renders are more important than itself. And, in keeping its operating costs at less than 18% of its budget, it ensures that its slender resources go far beyond what can be normally expected. More importantly, COL has heralded a new era in educational cooperation in the Commonwealth.

Aus australischer Sicht + Amtlicher Charakter von Äußerungen

This report seeks to capture the significance of COL on the eve of the new millennium. We see COL as an apt and agile agent of the Commonwealth. Not only is its focus on the determining characteristics of the day knowledge and technology but its attributes as an organisation epitomise those of bodies designed for the information and technological age. Modern, innovative organisations reserve for themselves the roles of strategists and designers, drawing on the vast productive and distributive capacities existing elsewhere to achieve their goals in the most effective, efficient and economical manner possible. COL possesses the talent and the knowledge, both of the challenges confronting the Commonwealth and the capacities available to meet them, to function in just such a fashion. Moreover, through such a modus operandi COL builds precisely the kinds of alliances and allegiances that help ensure its continued responsiveness to changing Commonwealth needs.

Several significant developments have marked the past three years in the life of the Commonwealth of Learning (COL) even though it is a relatively young organisation. They include the appointment of a new President, the introduction of a new structure for its Board of Governors and organisation and the move to less costly and smaller premises. They reflect signs of its growing maturity and its ability to maintain the momentum of its activities in the face of the financial uncertainty that continues to cloud its life.

The Internet has become an important way for individuals, private companies, and governments to get information, to communicate, and to do business. Research shows that local governments have been slow to respond to these developments. In this article we examine the ability of local governments to implement the changes needed to become cyber-governments. We develop a model that examines the strengths and weaknesses that need to be considered before embarking on E-governance reforms. We also examine the hurdles that local governments will need to cross in order to achieve success.