The literature of distance education is dominated by examples of the use of open and distance learning in adult and higher education. Is work with children and young people less common, or is it under reported and under researched?
In the past, the key contribution of open and distance learning has been seen to widen access to learning opportunities for those who have left, or have been failed by the schooling system. But there has been a huge expansion of the use of open and distance learning in a range of situations to support through open schools and in home and community schooling (for example the National Indian Open School), and from colleges such as BOCODOL and NAMCOL in Botswana and Namibia respectively. What are the contributions of commercial institutions and civil society in this area?
The Commonwealth of Learning is funding research which looks at comparative costings of open school and more traditional secondary educational provision and we look forward to hearing about the outcomes of this work at PCF5.
We seek reports of innovative developments reported at all levels, including:
To read about the latest news for contributors to this theme, including guidance for papers, go to the Youth news page. Link to proposals.
Mrs Frances Ferreira and Ms Helena Fehr, Education Specialists, Commonwealth of Learning. External link to profile of Frances Ferreira and Helena Fehr.