Educational Policy of Great Britain in the Commonwealth Countries

The article analyzes the development of the educational policy of Great Britain in the Commonwealth countries since the creation of this organization in 1948 till the present time. The author of the article attempts to highlight the evolution of the ideas from those that transformed the political and legal status of the dominions in 1931 in the document known as Westminster Status to the latest declarations of the Commonwealth. Singapore Declaration of Commonwealth Principles in 1971 may be considered ushering a new period in the activity of this organization, as it proclaimed such principles of the relationships among its members as «rejecting coercion as an instrument of policy, provision of channels for continuing exchanges of knowledge and views on professional, cultural, economic, legal and political issues, expanding human understanding among nations, elimination of discrimination. The Harara Commonwealth Declaration, published in 1991 considered the new issues that had emerged. The Declaration pledged its member countries «to work with new vigour in protecting and promoting democracy, fundamental human rights, equality for women, universal access to education, promoting sustainable development, protecting the environment, and others». The principles of the Harara Declaration found further development in Malta Declaration by the Commonwealth Heads of Governments in November 2005.The belief is expressed that the Commonwealth « as a rich, globally representative network of nations is equipped to respond to the pressing challenges of time such as poverty and inequality, that can place democracy in peril. In particular Programme for the Digital Divide was endorsed and support for the Digital Solidarity Fund was proclaimed for the purpose of making information technology accessible to all. The Report of the Commonwealth Scholarship Commission in the UK(CSC) and its Secretariat published in March 2012 is a very important document providing a lot of information assessing impact in higher education and development over the past half-century in particular Commonwealth Scholarships and Fellowships at universities in the UK. The report emphasizes that the development needs of the Commonwealth countries are taken into account. By focusing the attention on respondents who work in the field of education, the report demonstrates that many Commonwealth Scholars and Fellows not only benefited personally, but have played strong leadership roles and have lent their knowledge and experience to their home institutions and have had an impact on their counties' development.

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