Australia
The Virtual Colombo Plan Initiative
The Australian Government and the World Bank launched the Virtual Colombo Plan in August 2001. For its part, the Australian Government allocated $A200 million over 5 years to the VCP. The main focus of the plan is to improve education and access to knowledge in developing countries, through distance education and support for everything from primary school teacher training to advanced courses for policymakers. By virtue of its large distances, distance education has long been a crucial component of Australia’s education system, particularly for people living in remote rural areas without ready access to traditional schooling means. In 2002-03, activities under the plan included enhancing the quality of basic teacher education, and expanding physical infrastructure to improve access to and the cost-effectiveness of ICTs for distance learning and knowledge dissemination.