Records of the RCOG Education Board

Records of the RCOG Education Board, including meeting papers, correspondence of the Secretary to the Board, (2001-2007), and records of the Implementation Group to Audit Structured Training, (1993-1998).

The RCOG Education Board was established in November 1992 on the recommendation of the Futures Working Party of the College. Its remit was 'to act as a forum to disseminate information and to act as required on particular items of educational interest in its widest sense'. It took reports from the relevant standing committees and discussed those matters arising from their activities that would not normally have received an airing at Council. These included the Examinations, Higher Training, Hospital Recognition, Subspecialty, Continuing Professional Development, Manpower, and Meetings Committees.

In 2000, the RCOG put in place a new board structure in order to free-up Council’s time to concentrate on strategic and specialty wide issues. The Education Board became one of three boards (along with Standards and Services) that were given executive and decision-making authority and were able to ratify the decisions of reporting committees and groups. They were responsible directly to Council and met quarterly. The remit of the Education Board became: to facilitate the ongoing development of valid, fair and appropriate College examination processes; to promote and facilitate the development of the continuing professional development programme; to facilitate the initiation and development of the distance learning programme and related education initiatives; and to co-ordinate and facilitate the development of education in its widest sense. At this date it had the following reporting committees: Examinations, Continuing Professional Development, Standing Joint RCOG/RCR, Meetings, CAL [Computer Assisted Learning] Editorial Board.

In 2002, in order to forge closer ties between examinations and training, a revised Board structure was established and the reporting of the three training committees (Specialist Training, Subspecialty, Trainees) was diverted from the Standards Board to the Education Board. By 2008, the Education Board's remit was as follows: to co-ordinate postgraduate training, assessment and testing of training and accreditation of place of training; to facilitate the continuing development of valid, fair and appropriate College examination processes; to facilitate the initiation and development of distance learning programmes; to co-ordinate and facilitate the development of specialist education, training and assessment in the widest sense, in accordance with the College curricula.

Permission from RCOG senior management via the College Archivist is required for access to College records less than twenty years old.

Copyright of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists. Reproductions available at the discretion of the College Archivist.

Related material at the RCOG can be found at the following references:

RCOG/A4/25/83 President's file on the Education Board, 1992

RCOG/M50 The records of the Futures Working Party

RCOG/B43 Records of the RCOG Faculty Development Committee