The University of the Philippines Open University (UPOU) has been elected as part of the International Council for Distance Education (ICDE) Board for the period of 2022 – 2025.
Of the 11 nominations received by the ICDE Nomination Committee, UPOU is one of the three newly elected board members representing institutional membership for the said period. UPOU will take office effective 01 January 2022. The announcement of the result of the election was made during the closing session of the ICDE Virtual Global Conference held on 25 to 29 October 2021.
Along with this is the announcement of the 2021 ICDE Prizes of Excellence, where UPOU was awarded the Institutional Prize. Dr. Melinda dela Peña Bandalaria, Chancellor of UPOU, was awarded the Individual Prize for the ICDE Prize of Excellence for 2021; and Dr. Grace Javier Alfonso won the ICDE Prize for Lifelong Learning 2021.
The ICDE Board is responsible for implementing Member Referendum resolutions and making policy decisions according to the organization’s strategic plan, constitution and applicable regulations. Members hold office for four years, with elections held every two years for three positions. Board members may be re-elected for a second term of four years.
ICDE is a global association founded in 1938, partly funded by the Government of Norway, hosted in Oslo since 1988, and has a longstanding partnership with the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). It has a global community of leaders and professionals in the field of Open, Flexible, and Distance Learning (OFDL) with a proud history of promoting inclusive, affordable, access to quality education.
Written by Anna Cañas-Llamas and Alessa Shainne Hostalero
Edited by Joane V. Serrano
Graphics from Facebook Post of Mel Dela Pena
