OPEN AND DISTANCE EDUCATION (OPDE)

A STRATEGY FOR SOCIETAL DEVELOPMENT IN NIGERIA

Abstract

Education has been viewed by many scholars as the bedrock of national development. The pundits, in this research, disclose Open and Distant Education (OPDE) as a strategy for societal development. Distance education is the education of students who may not always be physically present at a school. Today it involves online education. Courses that are conducted are either hybrid,blended or 100% distance learning. OPDE is facing a lot of challenges ranging from lack of consistency, power supply, accessibility to telecommunication facilities and poor economic situation in the country. The Federal Government of Nigeria is admonished to provide funding for OPDE. Stakeholders and non-governmental institutions should invest in OPDE. The government should also improve access to telecommunication services for OPDE.