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4 August 2026 | Commonwealth Secretariat
The Commonwealth Youth Ministers Task Force has endorsed a new framework to guide the delivery of the Commonwealth Youth Programme over the next three years to advance youth development across member countries. The endorsement was made at a special meeting of the Commonwealth Youth Ministerial Task Force, held on 28 July at the Commonwealth Secretariat’s headquarters in London and online. The framework aligns the Commonwealth Youth Programme with the Commonwealth Secretariat Strategic Plan 2025–2030 and positions young people as partners and leaders in building democratic, economic and environmental resilience.
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August 2026 | World Bank
The World Development Report 2026 assesses what artificial intelligence (AI), as a general-purpose technology, means for 5.6 billion people living in low- and middle-income countries and how it could address development challenges that have resisted solutions for decades. Advancing the AI frontier that relies on semiconductors, data centers, AI-ready training data, and top-level research talent is out of reach for most developing countries in the near term.
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Counting the loss: Aid to education in 2024
and 2025
July 2026 | UNESCO
Official development assistance (ODA) is one of the sectors most affected by fiscal adjustments in high-income countries amid a changing geopolitical landscape. Public spending has been reoriented towards defence and servicing public debt (following support for households and enterprises to help them cope with the consequences of the pandemic and energy price shocks), as well as investment in the green transition.
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National University of Samoa signs strategic Frugal AI collaboration agreement with the Commonwealth of Learning
July 2026 | National University of Samoa
The National University of Samoa (NUS) is pleased to announce the signing of a landmark collaboration agreement with the Commonwealth of Learning (COL) to participate in an international initiative focused on the exploration, adaptation and implementation of Frugal Artificial Intelligence (Frugal AI) solutions for the higher education sector. Under the agreement, NUS will work with COL to customise and test Frugal AI approaches and frameworks suited to the Samoan context and the needs of Pacific Island nations.
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Connectivity, resilience and AI governance: Vanuatu's message to Pacific ICT Ministers
4 August 2026 | Daily Post, Vanuatu
Vanuatu has called for Pacific cultural and traditional knowledge to be protected from use in Artificial Intelligence (AI) systems without free, prior and informed consent, and has urged that this safeguard be made an enforceable requirement rather than a voluntary principle. The call came as Vanuatu delivered its country statement to the Forum ICT Ministers Meeting in Port Moresby, reporting progress across all six priorities of the Pacific ICT and Digital Transformation Action Plan (PIDTAP) 2024 to 2030.
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2 August 2026 | The Hindu, India
Dr B. R. Ambedkar Open University (BRAOU) and Commonwealth of Learning (COL), Vancouver, Canada, the only intergovernmental organisation concerned with the promotion and development of distance education and open learning, has entered a partnership agreement to strengthen collaboration in digital education, artificial intelligence, faculty development and technology-enabled learning. BRAOU Vice-Chancellor Ghanta Chakrapani said the development is a transformative initiative for BRAOU.
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30 July 2026 | UNESCO
"In Sirajganj, Bangladesh, the question is often not whether schools will flood, but when and for how long. When water rises, schools may close or become temporary shelters. Teachers may themselves be displaced. Attendance records can be disrupted, and children may miss weeks or months of learning.” Shafiul Islam, Assistant Inspector at the District Education Office in Sirajganj, brought these realities into a workshop room in Dhaka.
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24 July 2026 | University World News
India’s higher education system has reached a milestone, with enrolment rising to a record 45 million students in 2023 and 2024. However, the latest All India Survey on Higher Education (AISHE) released recently by the Ministry of Education suggests that the real story is not just expanding access — it is who is driving that growth. Women as well as students belonging to disadvantaged communities have recorded significant gains in participation, while the female Gross Enrolment Ratio (GER) (31.2%) exceeds that of men (28.9%), remaining higher than the male GER for the seventh year in a row.
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29 July 2026 | Business Today, Malaysia
The Ministry of Human Resources (MOHR) recorded 343,836 Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET)-related job offerings through the MYFutureJobs platform in the first six months of 2026, reflecting strong industry demand for skilled local talent. Human Resources Minister Datuk Seri Ramanan Ramakrishnan said the vacancies, advertised between 1 Jan and 30 June, highlight the growing recognition of technical and vocational skills as industries continue to embrace digitalisation and technological transformation.
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higher education
3 August 2026 | East African Journal of Education Studies
Artificial intelligence (AI) tools are rapidly transforming academic practices in higher education, especially through generative platforms and AI-supported writing assistants. University students increasingly use these tools for academic writing, idea generation, summarisation, proofreading, translation, research support, presentation preparation, and clarification of complex concepts. This thematic literature review examines university students' perceptions and use of AI tools for academic activities, with particular attention to implications for critical thinking in Tanzanian higher education.
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27 July 2026 | Government of UK, Department for Work & Pensions / Skills England
This report forms part of the SKAI programme, Skills for AI: What Works for AI Upskilling in the UK. The programme translates national evidence on AI skills into four connected outputs: employer guide, supporting case studies, insight briefing based on research, and a research evidence, analysis and methodology report. This report sets out the evidence and methodology underpinning three associated outputs: the employers’ guide, supporting case studies, and insight briefing based on research.
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Webinar: Strengthening disability inclusion for equitable ODL in West Africa
7 August 2026 | Commonwealth of Learning
Join us on 17 August at 14:30 WAT for a webinar on strengthening disability inclusion for equitable open and distance learning (ODL) in West Africa. Although ODL has expanded access to tertiary education, learners with disabilities remain marginalised and excluded from many learning pathways. This webinar explores how institutions can develop an Inclusive Learner Support Assessment Framework that responds to the realities of the West African context.
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