The Nedd for Policy Framework in Maintaining Quality in Open and Distance Education Programmes in Southern Africa

dc.creator	Rebecca LEKOKO
dc.creator	Dele BRAIMOH
dc.date	2005-10-01T00:00:00Z
dc.date.accessioned	2015-07-20T22:32:06Z
dc.date.available	2015-07-20T22:32:06Z
dc.identifier	1302-6488
dc.identifier	https://doaj.org/article/ac7e013c6bff4e58af120f03815b14be
dc.identifier.uri	http://evidence.thinkportal.org/handle/123456789/22498
dc.description	The Nedd for Policy Framework in Maintaining Quality in Open andDistance Education Programmes in Southern AfricaProf. Dele BRAIMOHNational University of LesothoLesotho-SOUTH AFRICA Dr. Rebecca LEKOKOUniversity of BotswanaBostwana-SOUTH AFRICA ABSTRACT The ideals of education for all as proposed by UNESCO (2000) cannot be achieved without tapping into all the existing educational delivery systems. Open and distance education system has caught the attention of a number of Southern African Universities as a viable and ‘Siamese’ twin of the conventional education in achieving flexibility, open and greater access for the heterogeneous clientele of the region. Despite the glowing virtues of distance education, this mode is still looked down upon by some people as inferior to the conventional teaching and learning processes. Paradoxically, learning through the distance education mode has a greater potential to provide education for more learners than the conventional education system. In a dynamic society such as the Southern African region, development has made education a phenomenon that transcends the four walls of the formal classrooms. Thus, a policy framework is needed to ensure that quality education is provided for learners of diverse cultures, including economic background and geographical regions. Such a framework is not only a basic requirement for positive development of the newly emerging distance education institutions but also an essential instrument for the continued success of the long established institutions, both single and dual mode. The proposed policy framework addresses some of the following (i) academic (e.g. course integrity, transferability and accreditation); (ii) governance, (e.g. tuition, fiscal regulation); (iii) faculty (e.g. training, workload, support and evaluation); (iv) legal (e.g. intellectual property, students and institutional liability); (v) technical (e.g. physical delivery networks, systems reliability, setup and infrastructural support); (vi) culture and (vii) economics, (e.g. direct and indirect costs of distance education). All these aspects can deter or stimulate certain group of people to develop interest and consequently enrol for learning through the distance education mode. In this paper, our aim is to stimulate dialogue on the significance, scope of coverage and the processes of formulating a policy framework for maintaining academic excellence as opposed to mediocrity. We are, however, mindful of the fact that practices are diverse in the region, but regardless of this diversity, a regional policy framework is possible to regulate the planning, development and implementation of quality distance education programmes across all levels of education, with particular focus on higher institutions of learning.
dc.language	English
dc.publisher	Anadolu University, Eskisehir, Turkey
dc.relation	http://tojde.anadolu.edu.tr/tojde20/articles/braimoh.htm
dc.relation	https://doaj.org/toc/1302-6488
dc.source	The Turkish Online Journal of Distance Education, Vol 6, Iss 4, Pp 95-105 (2005)
dc.subject	Academic excellence
dc.subject	transferability and accreditation
dc.subject	UNESCO
dc.subject	virtues of distance education
dc.subject	open and distance education system
dc.subject	and implementation of quality distance education programmes.
dc.subject	Special aspects of education
dc.subject	LC8-6691
dc.subject	Education
dc.subject	L
dc.subject	DOAJ:Education
dc.subject	DOAJ:Social Sciences
dc.subject	Special aspects of education
dc.subject	LC8-6691
dc.subject	Education
dc.subject	L
dc.subject	DOAJ:Education
dc.subject	DOAJ:Social Sciences
dc.subject	Special aspects of education
dc.subject	LC8-6691
dc.subject	Education
dc.subject	L
dc.subject	Special aspects of education
dc.subject	LC8-6691
dc.subject	Education
dc.subject	L
dc.subject	Special aspects of education
dc.subject	LC8-6691
dc.subject	Education
dc.subject	L
dc.title	The Nedd for Policy Framework in Maintaining Quality in Open and Distance Education Programmes in Southern Africa
dc.type	article