Chapter 8: Interactive Radio Instruction as a Distance Education Approach in Developing Countries

Where trained teachers are in short supply, classrooms are in poor repair, and learners are required to travel long distances to school, distance learning is often looked to as a mechanism for reaching those facing significant challenges to being physically present at an institution of learning. In the world’s most resource-poor countries, distance learning is an important mechanism for increasing access to quality education. Distance learning can be particularly appealing because it can bridge the constraints imposed by same-place, same-time classroom-based instruction.

Not all distance learning methodologies are equally useful in poorly resourced contexts. A disadvantage of some distance learning approaches is their heavy dependence on (often expensive) technologies that rely on the presence of a strong telecommunications and electricity infrastructure. For instance, while e-learning has taken off in the developed world, the effectiveness of e-learning in meeting the vast education needs in developing countries can face significant complications. Some of the factors limiting the potential effectiveness of e-learning include the absence of a reliable or comprehensive power grid, prohibitive or unreliable Internet connectivity, limited access to hardware and software, and a lack of locally relevant and curriculum-based instructional content. Other distance learning methods have been used effectively to increase access to education, but without necessarily keeping educational quality as a core consideration.