Monday, October 4th, 2004
TDLC and ADBI to Collaborate on Microfinance Training Pilot Program
The Tokyo Distance Learning Center is very pleased to announce a collaboration with the Asian Development Bank Institute to develop a pilot distance training program in microfinance.
The program will explore the simultaneous use of three key e-learning technologies: CD-ROMs, web-based support and extension, and the Global Development Learning Network.
Peter McCawley, Dean of ADBI, said, “All across Asia, there is a huge demand for education and training. However, existing education and training systems come nowhere close to fulfilling the huge gap between demand and supply. Part of the answer must be to find ways of mechanizing some of the training. If we can do so — for example, by using electronic tools such as the GDLN, CD-ROMs, and the web — then we can economise on the scarce time of human teachers and improve the overall efficiency of education and training systems. The need to improve the efficiency of education systems across Asia is very urgent, so it is crucial to look for innovative ways to do this.”
The Asian Development Bank Institute was established in 1997 in Tokyo, Japan, to help build capacity, skills, and knowledge related to poverty reduction and other areas that support long-term growth and competitiveness in developing economies in the Asia-Pacific region.
The TDLC is part of the Global Development Learning Network, a partnership of more than 70 learning centers and public, private, and non-governmental organizations around the world. By using interactive distance learning techniques to enable knowledge sharing, dialogue, training, and consultation on development topics, the GDLN bridges geographical distances fast and cost effectively.
One of the shared aims of ADBI and the GDLN is to increase access to a wide range of existing low-cost development training programs. ADBI commissions comprehensive reviews on publicly-available CD-ROMs that focus on important sectors such as water resources, agricultural research, anti-corruption, governance, and microfinance.
To create a program that most effectively combines the three distance learning methodologies, ADBI and the TDLC have selected one of the most favourably reviewed CDs to form the basis of the pilot.
“Microfinance Distance Training Course,” developed by the United Nations Capital Development Fund’s Special Unit for Microfinance, is aimed at newcomers as well as professionals working in the field. The course looks at “why and how microfinance operations grow to provide financial services to poor and low-income people on a sustainable basis.”
The course is also intended to act as a strong introduction to microfinance for professionals working in other fields and as a complement to students’ academic work in economics, finance, and international development.
The ADBI/TDLC pilot would be delivered to one or two staff members in various development organisations throughout the East Asia and Pacific region. Participants would be supported in the preparation and undertaking of the CD-ROM course and would then be invited to take part in an ongoing web-based discussion and peer group support program to further strengthen their training.
“We hope that those trained could then become resource people within their organisations, able to assist colleagues who wanted to take the course,” said Colin Lonergan, TDLC Operations Manager. “By integrating a range of core learning methods we’re trying to maximise the benefits and effectiveness of the training not only longer-term, but among a wider network of people.”
The pilot program will most likely consist of three phases: a preparatory stage during which candidates will be selected and provided with any technical assistance and materials they need to undertake the course; GDLN training sessions where participants will complete the CD-ROM course under the guidance of microfinance experts; and a web-based component to encourage participants to discuss the course, address any issues they may be experiencing, and begin to form a community of practice, again with the assistance of ADBI and GDLN experts.
We expect the pilot to launch early in 2005 — the International Year of Microcredit — and hope that its success can help increase the adoption and refine the effectiveness of both microfinance and distance learning practices throughout the region.
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**Related Links:**
Asian Development Bank Institute
Global Development Learning Network
UNCDF page for Microfinance Distance Learning Course
