Role of distance education

"OPEN AND Distance Learning" - These words reveal a rich vista of opportunities for the people thirsting for knowledge. It is no wonder that a large number of open universities have sprung up everywhere in the world and have rightly claimed legitimacy and recognition.

The book under review comprises 27 case studies - 18 from the developing world (arranged in part I) and nine from the industrial world (part II). They bring out the diversity in the functioning and reach of the institutions, covering from one end, China and India, to the other end, the smaller Hongkong and Portugal.

In the last three decades, these institutions have grown and started playing a pivotal role in enriching the knowledge and honing the skills of millions of learners. As Prof. Gajaraj Dhanarajan, president and chief executive, Commonwealth of Learning (COL), Vancouever B.C., Canada, points out in his foreword, distance education (DE) bids fair to become "a central pillar of post-secondary education in many countries of the world".

The institutions which figure cover a wide spectrum from the National University of La Plata (Dual Mode University), Argentina, Sukhothai Thammathirat Open University, Thailand, Anadolu University (Dual Mode), Turkey, China Central Radio and Television University, China, Allama Iqbal Open University, Pakistan, and Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU), Delhi. Dr. B. R. Ambedkar Open University, Andhra Pradesh, and Yashwantrao Chavan Maharashtra Open University also figure prominently in the portrayal.

In part II (industrial world), one finds among others, the University of the Air, Japan, Athabasca University, Canada, the University of Otago, New Zealand and the University of Alberta, Portugal.

It is not surprising that the different DE institutions have by a process of trial and error, adopted operating systems that go to meet more effectively the needs of learners in their respective countries.

When it comes to the despatch of lessons, getting the feedback from the learners, and conduct of examinations, a plethora of practices are the end result. But over the years, regular reviews along with comparison of best practices elsewhere, have led to refinement of the techniques.

Relative easy access to courses and low cost of education are often cited as arguments in favour of learners joining DE institutions. Added to this are: opportunity for students learning subjects at their own pace and flexibility in completing courses (no rigid time span, for instance). Gone are the days when the degrees earned from an open university were regarded as inferior to those awarded by a conventional university. Now it is the grasp and content of knowledge absorbed by the student that matters.

A multitude of factors throwing light on the way the DE has evolved all over the world came to the fore during the Pan Commonwealth Forum held in Brunei, Darussalam during March 1999. It is not surprising that the authors got the idea of bringing out this book at that time when eminent academics in the DE were all gathered there.

They deserve congratulations on bringing this idea to fruition. This volume is a valuable addition to the literature on DE and the readers will find it intellectually stimulating.

T. RAJAGOPALAN

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