Distance Education: Smart Option?

When Open University system began in UK some half century ago, it was in response to the needs of those times—how to enable those who missed out on furthering their education due to war, work or family circumstances? This system opened up new opportunities for post-secondary education for millions of adults. In India, the foundation of Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) in 1985 was inspired by similar objectives.

In this approach to post-secondary education, reading materials were mailed to the students, and assignments and examination papers were ‘mailed backâ by the students to their university and instructors.

This system thus began to be viewed as ‘second chanceâ system for those ‘poor folksâ who couldnât make it to the ‘realâ system of post-secondary education—the real system being the traditional class-room based teaching system of universities. Distance education thus began to be viewed as a ‘second classâ system with poor quality of teaching, with poor teaching materials and for poor students.

During the past decade, this has begun to change dramatically. Globalisation and economic growth is demanding highly and adequately trained human resources in a wide variety of knowledge and skill sets. Learning new knowledge and skills in the same profession has become imperative to succeed and even remain ‘employableâ. Life-long Learning is no longer a theory; its practice has moved far ahead of the policies needed to support it. European Unionâs policies, legislations and funding of lifelong learning programmes is now an integral part of its future economy and society.

Parallelly, the information technology revolution has made distance learning even more accessible and creative. Open Distance Learning (ODL) methodology in post-secondary education is gaining momentum in many professional education programmes.

Therefore, the growing future requirements for educating and re-educating human resources in all countries can best be met through distance education. New knowledge can be harnessed regularly; it can be done by students who do not have to leave their work, family or habitats; it can be accessed relatively inexpensively; most qualified and specialist teachers and resource persons can be involved in teaching (without going anywhere).

Thus, around the world, the learning revolution triggered by information technology is being harnessed in upgradation of professional competencies through open and diverse routes of post-secondary education for adults. It is now possible to complete a doctoral programme in OD through this mode in USA; many programmes for education and certification of para-medics in south-east Asia are being conducted in distance mode; post-secondary degree programmes in agriculture sciences in Australia are being offered through distance mode; MA in Public Administration (as well as in School Administration) in Canada is being conducted in this mode.

Rajesh Tandon
May 24, 2010