At the beginning of the 21st century, about one-fifth of the world’s population is functionally illiterate, unable to participate fully in their societies, or protect their basic rights. Could open and distance learning (ODL) help reduce the growing numbers of undereducated?

A recent book by the International Extension College reviews evidence of the outcomes of basic education delivered through ODL, particularly as it relates to policy challenges.

In March 1990, 155 governments donor agencies met in Jomtien, Thailand, to endorse a plan to achieve basic Education For All (EFA) and universal literacy by 2000. Ten years on, the target date has been shifted back to 2015. The goal of EFA remains a distant one because the present structures cannot cope with the complexity and scale of the challenge. Are there any alternatives to conventional patterns of schooling and basic education provision? And what can ODL approaches contribute to the EFA challenge?

Research findings include:

• Existing models and methods of delivering basic education are not up to the task of providing EFA. New methods have to be found, funded, tested and applied on a large scale if EFA is to become a reality by 2015.
• Although some ODL practice is promising in terms of cost-effectiveness, much remains problematic in terms of quality and sustainability.
• Diversification of education and the closer integration of conventional and ODL structures will call for a more flexible, responsive and highly skilled teacher force.
• More investment is required in better and broader systems of initial and ongoing teacher education and professional development.
• While learners need education that is both culturally and vocationally relevant, they also need a well-organised and supportive social context.
• Much education development thinking is dominated by the drive to modernise, particularly when it involves use of media, for example, the use of educational radio for EFA has been neglected despite strong grassroots support.

Policy recommendations include:

• ODL needs to be much more heavily researched as we know next to nothing about how teachers, learners, policymakers, parents, employers and other educational stakeholders view ODL at the basic level.
• We need to think more holistically about how education systems can be reconfigured to better integrate and use the strengths of the different modalities available.
• ODL must be configured to serve local community needs, and not to further alienate or impoverish the already marginalised.

Source(s):
‘Basic Education at a Distance’ World Review of Distance Education and Open Learning, Volume 2, Routledge/Commonwealth of Learning, edited by Chris Yates and Jo Bradley, 2000

Funded by: The Commonwealth of Learning

id21 Research Highlight: 30 January 2001

Further Information:
Chris Yates or Jo Bradley
International Extension College
Cambridge
UK

Tel: +44 (0) 1223 353321
Contact the contributor: chris@iec.ac.uk

Contact the contributor: jo@iec.ac.uk

International Extension College, UK

Other related links:
Read the CIDA Action Plan on Basic Education