Distance Education and Its Potential for the Red Sea Nation, Eritrea--A Discourse

Across the world, the distance mode of education is gaining momentum. It is a system in which schools, universities and other educational agencies offer instruction wholly or partly by mail. Eritrea is a newly independent country in Africa and is facing many challenges, particularly in its education sector. It does not have many educational institutions at tertiary level. Thus, distance learning is a valuable option for this country. The distance education program could promote higher education by providing access to large numbers of urban people and disadvantaged groups in rural and remote areas, including working people, fighters, women and other adults. This paper discusses various issues related to the establishment and development of distance education. It presents the distance education programs so far undertaken in the country and explores the potential for distance education in Eritrea. (Contains 1 table and 4 notes.)