Some trends in distance education in Africa: An examination of the past and future role of distance education as a tool for national development

Distance education figures prominently among strategies recently proposed to assist African countries escape from educational crisis. Africa has already made considerable use of distance education to extend access to formal education, although most public institutions have often been severely constrained by lack of finance and manpower. Case studies of Zambia, Kenya and Zimbabwe suggest that critical factors for the effectiveness of distance education are the provision of adequate resources and firm political backing. It is probable that distance education will continue to be used to strengthen formal education by training primary teachers, extending access to secondary education and by providing tertiary education although, so far, few African countries have attempted degree level studies at a distance. In order for all these programmes to be effective, more resources must be forthcoming and integration of distance education with the formal system is desirable. Otherwise distance education may remain at the periphery, its potential under‐used.