Welcome to the ninth Pan-Commonwealth Forum on Open Learning (PCF9) to be held in Edinburgh, Scotland at the historic BT Murrayfield Stadium from 9 – 12 September 2019.  In keeping with tradition, the Commonwealth of Learning (COL) has partnered with The Open University to co-host the Forum and celebrate the 30 and 50 years of our respective commitment to quality education and lifelong learning.

Our combined experience and capabilities must focus not on our past, but critically on the future of education and learning.  Already the ambitious plan of action agreed in September 2015 to transform the world for people, planet and prosperity underpinned by the 17 sustainable development goals, is many years behind target.  We know that millions of young people are missing out on a quality education to give them a fair start in life and that many millions more lack the opportunities they need to develop skills throughout their lives to respond to the rapidly changing needs of work and our societies.  We believe that open education has a much greater role to play in meeting this challenge and that is why we have chosen to focus this Pan-Commonwealth Forum on Open Learning on the theme of innovations for quality education and lifelong learning.

We will need to approach this challenge with a mind-set that bridges the traditional divide between borders, sectors, academia and industry. PCF9 welcomes participation from friends old and new from the open education and Commonwealth communities and beyond.  Now is the time to deepen our partnerships to ensure that we can provide employability skills to young people, a quality education to all regardless of circumstances, and to find practical ways for technology to speed up our progress.  We look forward to welcoming you to PCF9 and to working together to address this challenge.