ODL for sustainable development in India
Abstract
Open and distance learning (ODL) is considered a significant medium for sustainable
development in the information age of advanced learning. India, which is considered
as the case study for this article, is facing the challenges of knowledge and information
upgrading. In order to meet the demands of globalisation for sustainable development,
in 1985 the Government of India established the Indira Gandhi National Open
University (IGNOU) by an Act of Parliament at national level.
The aim of this article is to establish a coalition between ODL and sustainable
development for the social, economic, vocational and educational strengthening of
communities. The article explores the implementation of ODL methodologies that
are utilised to empower the rural masses and functionaries in rural India. The author
acknowledges that education and training in a non-formal setting can be significant
in providing development at grass-root levels; and that ODL methodologies may have
the potential to meet the requirements of education for sustainable development (ESD).
The article, holistically, suggests the futuristic model(s) of distance training as a
transformed form of capacity building. There is a need for a developmental model of
education that provides for quality education, and offers the possibility of sustainable
development to learners, job seekers and society as a whole
URI
http://hdl.handle.net/10394/17857http://reference.sabinet.co.za/webx/access/electronic_journals/progress/progress_v33_n2_a5.pdf
Collections
- Faculty of Humanities [2033]