Distance Education and Education for All by the Year 2000: Challenges for the Nineties.

Overview & Synopsis

Distance education has grown tremendously in the past 20 years, especially in developing countries, but it faces many challenges as it moves toward the 21st century. The most common current uses of distance education include university and higher education, teacher education, vocational and professional upgrading, substitute secondary education for adults and adolescents, and adult basic and nonformal education, all conducted at a distance. A recent study concluded that distance education seems to be here to stay and is likely to expand. It seems to be well established at the university level and in teacher education; secondary and adult basic education distance education programs have been successful but lack recognition. Distance education can be economical if conducted in large enough programs to achieve economies of scale. Problems and challenges facing distance education, especially in developing countries, fall into the areas of material development and delivery, tutorial and student support services, administrative structures, and political commitment and understanding. A tentative agenda for the development of distance education in countries such as Botswana could include the following: small-population, specialized courses; primary and secondary teacher training and upgrading; courses for adults and young adults, mainly in job skills; courses for school dropouts from primary schools; and courses in basic literacy for adults. Some of these courses would require intensive preparation, especially those for low-literacy adults, and would require more personal meetings than the other types of distance education. Distance education should be seen as a supplementary rather than an alternative form of education and should be of equal quality as other types of education. (KC)