How we promote Commonwealth values (Part 1)

The Commonwealth Education Trust is proud to be an accredited Commonwealth organisation. We strive to meet these principles of The Commonwealth Charter – a declaration of the key values and objectives of the Commonwealth:  

• Access to Health, Education, Food and Shelter (11) 
• Importance of Young People in the Commonwealth (13) 
• Recognition of the Needs of Vulnerable States (15) 

Through our low-cost, digital, online platform, Teach2030, we provide accessible and affordable Teacher Professional Development (TPD). Young people then become better learners due to having a more highly skilled teacher – directly impacting their future lives and opportunities. Most notably, our ‘Growth Mindset for Teachers and Learners’ course changes cultural attitudes by building a more respectful community. Meanwhile, our partnerships enable collaboration and skill sharing between the nations of the Commonwealth, whether this be through our Teacher Learning Communities (TLCs), highly contextualised courses or additional activities. 

2023 is the ‘Year of the Youth.’ It ‘coincides with the 50th anniversary of the Commonwealth Youth Programme – established to deliver support for young people under the age of 30 to reach their full potential. 

The Commonwealth’s 56 member countries have a combined population of 2.5 billion people, of which more than 60% are under 30 years of age.’ (The Commonwealth: 2023)

Yet, still, children across the world face barriers that prevent them from accessing quality education. A lack of investment in school infrastructure results in no school buildings, classrooms or resources, with rarely enough books, pencils, desks and chairs for all pupils. Class numbers can be over 50; in the Commonwealth country of Malawi, there is an average of 130 students in first grade (Global Citizen: 2019).  

The World Bank (2021) defines Learning Poverty broadly speaking as when a child is unable to read and understand a simple story by the age of 10 – a rate that can be as high as 80% in some countries. This is an estimated 250 million children worldwide leaving school illiterate. 

There are solutions to Learning Poverty. The UN’s Sustainable Development Goal 4 is aiming to ‘ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all’ (UN: 2023), with multiple targets to be achieved by 2030, including an increased supply of fully trained teachers. 

After all, it does not take a physical school structure for learning to occur, it takes teachers – and the world is short of 69 million of them (UN: 2023).  

Valuable TPD leads to higher literacy and numeracy levels (RTI International: 2021), increasing the prospects of thousands of children worldwide. Fewer teachers leave the profession, due to higher staff morale, and communities become more developed and enriched. 

The Commonwealth Education Trust provides teachers working in under resourced settings across the globe with a low-cost, digital, professional development solution through our ed-Tech, award winning platform, Teach2030.   

Teach2030 courses, materials and virtual activities focus on strategies to increase learning outcomes and classroom knowledge. In our digital Teach2030 community, teachers feel safe discussing their classroom practice, knowing they will be supported by peers worldwide. This allows every teacher to remain committed to a trajectory of excellence.  

Our courses are designed for whole school and independent learning. Easy-to-use and low data, all teachers receive contextualised, assessed, and certified TPD materials through their smartphone or digital device. Headteachers and their teams feel supported with specific training to encourage time tabled TPD to become standard in schools, ensuring teachers learn and develop their practice continuously. All materials can be timed and paced to suit the needs of individuals and schools.  

‘Investing in young people today is the foundation for a prosperous and equitable tomorrow.’ (The Magampura Declaration of Commitment to Young People Sri Lanka, 2013. The Commonwealth: 2019) 

Help the Commonwealth Education Trust train those teachers today and improve the lives of millions of children worldwide. Donate today or become one of our valued partners. 

Now, click here to read part 2 of this article.