Asian Journal of Distance Education
Yazarlar: Dele BRAIMOH, Jonathan Ohiorenuan OSIKI
Konular:
Anahtar Kelimeler:Distance Education
Özet: The whole world has now been reduced to a form of global village. This has been made possible as a result of technological development and third-world countries can therefore not afford to sit on the fence about this lofty innovation, lest development which permeates all aspects of socio-economic fabric of any nation may not only remain a mirage, but may also totally elude such countries. Knowledge is power and such legitimate power can practically be derived from education. Education, which should be a legal right of all the citizens of the world if illiteracy is to be defeated, and for national development not to be stunted, is still largely an elusive commodity to a massive world population, due to many factors. However, the advent of open and distance learning globally could go a long way to widen accessibility to education for the majority of working adults, flexibly so that the learning and earning processes can go on side-by-side. Paradoxically however, there still abounds a gamut of militating factors which could possibly render the effectiveness of this mode of learning impotent, if care is not taken, particularly among the developing countries of the world. This paper therefore, takes a critical view of the general problems associated with the operation of open and distance learning in sub-Saharan Africa, especially for the delivery of tertiary education. The paper concludes by making some recommendations, which should be embraced by the African heads of governments on one hand, and the higher institutions of learning including their students on the other. If the problems are objectively interrogated and the recommendations systematically considered for implementation, this will obliterate the temerity with which open and distance education programmes and their products are being looked at by the public. This will therefore enhance the opportunities to access higher education programmes both for personal improvement and for national development.