The 24th IDEA National Online Conference on Emerging Perspectives of Open and Distance Learning organised a two days (17-18 July 2020) 24th IDEA National Online Conference on Emerging Perspectives of Open and Distance Learning.  The conference was orgainzed by University of Mumbai, Institute of Distance and Open Learning in association with Indian Distance Education Association (IDEA) & Commonwealth Educational Media Centre for Asia (CEMCA).  I was honored and deligthed to be invited as Chief Guest on the 18 July 2020. I was invited by Professor Dhaneswar Harichandan, who also serve as ICDE Ambassador for the global advocacy of OER in the OER Advocacy Committe which I chair. Professor Dhaneswar Harichandan, recieved the Lifetime Achievement Award in ODL during the  Award ceremony on hte 18 July 2020. The conference gatherd approxiamtely some 1000 delegates from all over the world. Program and speakers were really on hte cutting edge in the fiueld of open and distance leaning

See the fisrt day 17 July 2920 on YouTube here

See the second day 18 July 2020 on YouTube here where i presented as Chief Guest on ICDE, ICDE OER Advocacy Committe and OER (Open Educational Resources).

Read the report here

CEMCA is supporting , Institute of Distance and Open Learning (IDOL), University of Mumbai and Indian Distance Education Association (IDEA) in organising two days (17-18 July 2020) 24th IDEA National Online Conference on Emerging Perspectives of Open and Distance Learning. In the Inaugural session of the conference, Dr. Kavita Laghate, Director IDOL; Dr. K Murali Manohar, President, IDEA; Dr. Romesh Verma, Secretary General, IDEA welcomed the dignitaries, paper presenters, participants and described the objectives of the conference introducing their respective institutions. Prof. Madhu Parhar briefly presented the activities of COL and CEMCA during the last three months. Prof. Nageshwar Rao, Vice Chancellor, Indira Gandhi National Open University delivered Inaugural address and Dr. Avichal Kapur: Joint Secretary UGC DEB; Guest of Honour addressed the participants. Dr. Suhas Pednekar, Vice Chancellor, University of Mumbai gave the Presidential remarks and released the book "Understanding of ODL in Dual Mode Universities of India". Dr. D. Harichandan, Conference Secretary proposed a formal vote of thanks. Around 100 faculty members form different parts of the country are participating in this Conference.

Read more on OER as below. 25th November 2019 was a milestone in the feild of open education to reach the SDG4 and to acheive accessible, affordable, quality education for all, and to acheve lifelong learning, equity, equality, for human rights and social justice.

Open Educational Resources (OER) are teaching, learning and research materials in any medium – digital or otherwise – that reside in the public domain or have been released under an open license that permits no-cost access, use, adaptation and redistribution by others with no or limited restrictions. 
OER form part of ‘Open Solutions’, alongside Free and Open Source software (FOSS), Open Access (OA), Open Data (OD) and crowdsourcing platforms.

UNESCO is the only UN agency with a dedicated OER programme. The term “Open Education Resource” was first coined in 2002 at a forum organised by UNESCO on Open Courseware in Higher Education. In November 2019, the 40th UNESCO General Conference adopted the UNESCO OER Recommendation which is the only international standard setting framework in this area worldwide.

UNESCO believes that universal access to information through high quality education contributes to peace, sustainable social and economic development, and intercultural dialogue. OER provide a strategic opportunity to improve the quality of learning and knowledge sharing as well as improve policy dialogue, knowledge-sharing and capacity-building globally.