About the Institute

The Asia Caribbean Open Institute adheres and upholds the most basic human right to education. It was established to empower the growing number of people across the globe who cannot afford higher education. The Institute supports underprivileged students from developing countries in Asia and the Caribbean but opens its doors to anyone willing to learn.

The Institute is an educational advocacy initiative founded by the Caribbean ASEAN Council as a direct response to the global need in providing education for all regardless of ethnicity, gender, religion, sexuality or disability. It is a distance and online learning institution that supports and applies OpenCourseWare (OCW), Open Educational Resources (OER), and Massive Open Online Courses (MOOC) to provide accessible higher education.

The Caribbean ASEAN Council is a non-government and non-profit association under Swiss law whose main activities are focused on economic and social development. It is a Lifetime Member of Civicus - the World Alliance for Citizen Participation, registered with the NGO Branch of the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs and listed on the European Union's Transparency Register.

The Institute is internationally represented by the Eastern Caribbean-Southeast Asia Chamber, a non-government organisation registered in the United Kingdom. The Chamber is recognised by the United Nations through the United Nations Office of the High Representative for the Least Developed Countries, Landlocked Developing Countries and Small Island Developing States (UN-OHRLLS) SIDS Global Business Network. It is also a participant to the United Nations Global Compact and an Associate Member of the Conference of NGOs in Consultative Relationship with the United Nations. The Chamber is consulted by Ms. Abigail Tizon who has received certification in Copyright and Creative Commons Licensing. The Institute is treated as an overseas school in the United Kingdom and has registered with the United Kingdom Register for Learning Providers.

You may view our public documents here.

The Caribbean ASEAN Council and the Eastern Caribbean-Southeast Asia Chamber have been acknowledged globally. Among those who have appreciated our efforts include His Majesty King Charles III (as the former Prince of Wales); H.R.H. Princess Anne, The Princess Royal; and H.E. Ms. Fekitamoeloa Katoa 'Utoikamanu, former United Nations Under-Secretary-General.

In pursuit of our mandate, our Advisory Board Chair Datu Sadja Dr. Matthew Pajares Yngson, had the rare opportunity to converse with H.R.H. Princess Anne at Marlborough House in London. He was also able to communicate our objectives to H.E. The Right Hon. Patricia Scotland, Secretary General of The Commonwealth and has met with Prof. Asha Kanwar, President and CEO of the Commonwealth of Learning to officially introduce the Institute and its goals.

The Asia Caribbean Open Institute emphasizes the following:

The Caribbean ASEAN Council is a non-profit private association governed by the present statutes and, secondly, by Articles 60 et seq. of the Swiss Civil Code. As an initiative owned and directed by the Council, the Asia Caribbean Open Institute conforms to the legal guidelines set by the Swiss Confederation. We abide by the requirements of the Federal Department of Economic Affairs, Education and Research and the State Secretariat for Education, Research and Innovation (SERI) in issuing private degrees for higher education. The validity of the degrees awarded by the Asia Caribben Open Institute are assured by the SERI Directorate as specified in Office Circulars published in September 2010 and December 2017. The Institute also conforms to legal provisions in the Canton of Geneva. The programmes offered by the Institute are pattered after the standards set by the European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System (ECTS). Programme accreditation is voluntary for private institutions as stated in Chapter 5, Article 28, Subsection 3 of the 2011 Swiss Higher Education Act (HEdA).

As a separate entity outside of Switzerland's public education sector, the Institute is able to establish a cost-effective and dynamic internal assesment strategy. By aligning with independent academic professionals and educational organisations worldwide, we are able to evaluate our programmes and continuously offer aboveboard education to our students. The Institute is also recorded by the Swiss Chamber of Commerce in the Netherlands as an educational institution.

Reference under the Swiss government:

The academic representative and global registrar of the Institute is the Eastern Caribbean-Southeast Asia Chamber, a non-government organisation certified in England and Wales. As the Institute awards Swiss private degrees and diplomas, it is classified as a foreign learning institution in the United Kingdom. This complies with Part IV, Section 214, Subsection 10 of the Education Reform Act 1988. The Institute has also registered with the United Kingdom Register of Learning Providers (UKRLP) and has been allocated the UK Provider Reference Number 10086159. The UKRLP is a registration system operated by the Education and Skills Funding Agency under the Department for Education (DfE). This registration confirms that the Institute has been verified by the UK government.

Reference under the British government: