The role of learning at a distance in national educational systems

Abstract

This paper argues that, while distance education may have a continuing role as ‘complementary’ education, it is better viewed as part of the resources of the total life‐long education process. Any face‐to‐face classroom teacher exercises a range of options in catering for individual needs. Distance education is surely one of the wider range of options available to every teacher, and to any individual with capacity for independent learning.

To suggest that the attractiveness of distance education lies in its potential for economies of scale may not only under‐value the capacity of distance education to satisfy a wide range of needs but also lend support to the notion that cheap education is the paramount criterion in assessing the efficacy of the educational process.