ICT-based Distance Education in South Asia

This 6-page report provides a survey of innovative uses of information and communication technology (ICT) for distance education (DE) and training in South Asia. Published in the International Review of Research in Open and Distance Learning (Vol. 9, No. 3), the report focuses on ICT initiatives in India, Sri Lanka, and Bhutan, at the university level, and in non-formal interventions. Author Sally D. Berman concludes that in all 3 countries the traditional media, including radio and television, must play an important continuing role to ensure that education is accessible to the widest possible range of students.

First, Berman traces trends in hardware development and its intersections with DE. For example, the Simputer is a simple, inexpensive multilingual computer introduced in 1998 in India. It was conceived to allow illiterate people to use computer facilities such as the internet and email, via tools such as handwritten text comprehension and audio. Several versions of the Simputer were produced, as Berman explains. "Despite its drawbacks [e.g., its dependence on batteries, and its cost] and the likelihood that it will never become a popular device, the Simputer is a prime example of the technical sophistication of India's efforts aimed at benefitting unprivileged people, and of the inadequate contribution of the private sector in such initiatives..." Berman also discusses the corDECT wireless local loop standard, sponsored by the Indian Institute of Technology in Madras. Best implemented within an advanced phone-line infrastructure with the addition of radio-signal features for internet connectivity, corDECT "has been utilised extensively in India and other developing countries including Argentina, Kenya, and Iran."

How have technologies such as the above been used?

First, Berman considers university-level initiatives:

• Sri Lanka has implemented several e-learning projects at university level; for example, within the Bachelor of Information Technology programme at the University of Colombo, and the Open University of Sri Lanka.




• In India, an open university network, led by Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU), was inaugurated in 1985 to enable students from all backgrounds and social groups to study at a low cost subsidised by the government. Most courses use printed text, accompanied by audiotapes, videotapes, and other technology. Some courses use teleconferencing, lessons on TV/radio, CDs, web-based content, and interactive radio counselling. Also, learning centres located throughout India provide supplementary learning aids and support services. To promote the use of e-learning at IGNOU, telecentres have been created throughout India, equipped with computers and internet connections. Despite the rapid growth of these programmes, there have reportedly been problems including the absence of teacher interaction and the unavailability of the programmes outside the major cities. According to Berman, IGNOU has grown substantially, with 1.4 million students and over 1,500 study centres in 2006.
  
  Gyan Vani (Voice of Knowledge), opened in 2002 using the infrastructure of the centrally controlled Air India Radio (AIR). Gyan Vani broadcasts to learners of all ages from primary school to university level. It serves a wide range of community needs, using radio formats involving two-way communication. One researcher Berman cites here claims that Indian learners generally prefer TV technology, and that several educational projects which have used broadcast radio have not been pursued to completion. India has over 40 years of experience using broadcast TV at primary to university levels, including interactive TV programmes using teleconferencing via dedicated educational channels. Stations such as the public Gyan Darshan and the private Zee TV provide round-the-clock educational broadcasting.
  
  In general, Berman claims, "India has been innovative in its uses of diversified DE technology to provide university-level education." However, there are concerns that educational technology has widened the gap between those who have educational access and those who do not. Also, some argue that India has not adequately addressed the issues of primary and secondary education. Furthermore, observers have stressed that DE institutions, such as IGNOU, should seek to address common reasons for students' dropping out of school, such as the unmanageable distance from the students' residence to the nearest study centre, resulting in a lack of academic support and interaction with fellow students.




• The Royal University of Bhutan (RUB) to date has made "limited" use of distance learning; an exception is the Distance Teacher Education Program (DTEP), a 5-year Bachelor of Education programme for primary school teachers launched in 1995. The DTEP is delivered primarily via printed text, accompanied on a yearly basis by a month-long residential school. In 2003, to improve its accessibility for students located in rural and inaccessible areas of Bhutan, an internet-based component was added, using learning management system methods, computer-mediated conferencing, and email. Internet connectivity issues have apparently frustrated many students; thus, traditional educational media may indeed deserve renewed attention to enhance instructor-student and student-student interactions. "In summary, e-learning has been found to be premature in Bhutan, an inappropriate transfer of technology to a developing country; and it has been shown that the traditional media are likely to have an ongoing importance in formal educational programmes for the foreseeable future, just as in India and Sri Lanka."
  

Next, the author turns to non-formal distance education and training, where "new ICT methods are playing a substantial role in the development of emerging countries. Both India and Sri Lanka have made dramatic strides in using ICTs to reach out to their rural populations."

• Informal rural learning in India is provided by community radio, a movement combining radio transmission with local face-to-face discussions. In Pasatapur, village associations have emerged from the community work of local radio stations. Radio programmes include talks, interviews, discussions, and songs. "The work has resulted in improved knowledge of agricultural techniques, and women have learned about health issues, and tasks traditionally done by men." Also, India's M.S. Swaminathan Research Foundation (MSSRF) has been closely involved since 1997 in the implementation of Virtual Knowledge Centers (VKCs) equipped with computers and internet access, as well as communication systems for farmers and fishermen, including the use of loudspeaker systems.
• Sri Lanka's Sarvodaya has established 15,000 rural telecentres equipped with computers and internet access. Like MSSRF's efforts, Sarvodaya's centres aim to develop local training programmes and create knowledge networks based on local needs. Sri Lanka has also participated in the World Bank's Global Distance Learning Network (GDLN), an initiative designed to encourage developing countries to create local learning programmes. Sri Lanka has also made use of lower-technology efforts to use computer- and internet-based methods in rural education, using, for example, a bus to tour the country with basic educational materials.

In conclusion, Berman highlights the fact that distance educators in these countries have - wisely, she thinks - concentrated on harnessing technologies which are easily accessible to their users. In her assessment, "[t]echnologies such as radio, which are far-reaching and effective for isolated peoples, have not received the attention that they deserve....The unfortunate conclusion is that DE technology in South Asia has so far been largely dictated by the needs of the more affluent, urban learners..."