Provision of Open and Distance Education in Botswana

A Case Study

Judith Kamau

INTRODUCTION

Distance education has been practised in Botswana  for a very long time. It sprung up in  response to the need for more flexible, cost effective methods of delivering education to the nation. At the early stages distance education which was known as correspondence education was applied to train untrained serving primary school teachers. As time progressed distance education was used as a vehicle to offer formal qualifications to adults and youth  who had not been able to access secondary education through the conventional system. In this paper I will explore the  context of distance education from the 1960s to the present and discuss  providers, target groups  and mode of delivery. I  will also look at policy statements and the implementation strategies in a bid to establish  how policies have enhanced or constrained the provision of distance education in the nation. Finally I will suggest some recommendations that can improve the provision  of open and distance education in Botswana.

COUNTRY PROFILE

After 80 years as a British Bechuanaland Protectorate, attained independence in 1966 and became the Independent Republic of Botswana. 

Botswana is a land locked country which shares boarders with Zimbabwe, South Africa, Namibia and Zambia. It has a land area of 582,000 sq. km with a population of approximately 1.5 million people. The population is sparsely distributed over this large geographical area with the highest population concentrated in the eastern part of the country. 

Economically, Botswana's main source of wealth is derived from  minerals and cattle farming. The country has a large wildlife population which attracts tourism particularly in the north western part.  There is subsistence farming particularly in the rural areas. Politically, Botswana has a multi-party parliamentary democracy with a unicameral legislature, the national assembly and a house of Chiefs  which is dominated by chiefs drawn from Botswana's major ethnic groups. 

Botswana has a well developed transport system.  The railway transport links it with some of its neighbour South Africa, Zimbabwe and Zambia.  There is a regular air service that caters for domestic travel and international connections.  The road network has been greatly improved since independence There are major highways that link major towns and earth roads that facilitate travel off the main tarmac roads.  In addition, Botswana has a well developed telecommunications system that serves urban areas and major villages. Plans to expand telephone exchange to the rural areas within the current national development plan period that is (1997/8-2002/2003) are well under way.  This will be done through increasing the customer connections, expanding the networks, providing the latest state of the art technology services and keeping the prices affordable to users.  Botswana also has an infrastructure of TV transmission that allows for expansion of media in distance education.  Through the convergence of telecommunications, computing and entertainment technologies there are plans to introduce voice mail and video conferencing.  The government provision of telecommunications service is further boosted by private organisations through the introduction of cell phones.  Existence of these media will improve the provision of distance and open learning programmes because providers will no longer have to depend on old technologies such as print, audio and face to face contact.  The postal services have also been expanded to the rural areas by installing more postal box kiosks.  This development will enhance the two-way communication process in open and distance learning because it  enables students to send and receive assignments more regularly.  With that background, about the socio-economic status and communications system in Botswana, I now turn to the provision of distance and open learning, in this great nation. 

THE CONTEXT OF OPEN AND DISTANCE EDUCATION IN BOTSWANA BY 1960 

Historically, Botswana's involvement in distance education has been at two levels, first as consumers and as providers.  As a consumer, Botswana received correspondence courses from private and public institutions in South Africa, Zimbabwe (former Southern Rhodesia) and Britain.  The general low level of education provision at independence (1966) led to high demands for educational opportunities outside the conventional provision.  These problems of educational, imbalance, the systems inability to reach remote dwellers, and the perceived reduced expenditure by mounting distance education programmes which would reach larger numbers than the conventional mode led providers, particularly  the government to consider distance education as a viable alternative. 

EARLY DEVELOPMENTS - (1960 - 1990) 

One of the earliest government initiatives to offer correspondence courses was launched between 1960-65 to train  untrained primary school teachers. This project was a collaborative venture between the then British Bechuanaland Protectorate and the Rhodesian government.  This teacher upgrading programme led to the award of the Elementary Teachers Certificate (Jones 1979).  As a follow up to this programme, the government, launched another teacher training  programme in 1968 to upgrade teachers.  Before it came to close in 1973 this UNESCO aided one-off project had upgraded over 700 teachers.  Although this project was not evaluated, it demonstrated the potential of distance education in training teachers through unconventional means (Pule 1992).  In 1973, the government established the Botswana Extension College within the Department of Non-Formal Education (DNFE) to cater for out-of-school adult learners aged (19 years and above) who wished to advance their academic qualifications particularly in secondary education.  Following massive expansion of secondary enrolment particularly at the Junior Certificate level in the 1980s, the entry age for those admitted to distance education courses was lowered from (19 to 15 years) to accommodate school leavers.  This lowering of entry age was not coupled with the establishment of learner support services to equip them with study skills for distance education  and  to restore confidence in these young school leavers.  One of the results of this omission was large enrolment numbers at the beginning of the programme and very low completion rates.  To contain heavy attrition rates, the DNFE needed to establish learner support services in study centres close to students homes. 

Following the introduction of other out-of -school programmes in the (DNFE) such as the literacy programme around 1978, the Botswana Extension College was replaced with the Distance Education Division.  This division formed the nucleus that led to the creation of the Botswana College Distance and Open Learning (BOCODOL), in 1998.

The other major provider has been the University of Botswana.  The earliest reported programme (Mudariki and Tau 1992) was a radio campaign entitled, The People and The Plan, which was provided by the Department of Extra Mural Studies (DEMS) within the then University of Botswana, Lesotho and Swaziland (UBLS).  This campaign involved 1400 radio listening groups followed by discussions.  The next programme in the early stages was a collaborative non-formal programme called, the Tribal Grazing Lands Radio Study - Groups Campaign, which was once again run by the Department of Extra Mural Studies jointly with the Botswana Extension College.   This programme reached 55,000 adults, (Dodds et. Al.1999).  In 1979 the University of Botswana offered the first credit course, a Diploma in Theology followed by the Certificate in Adult Education which was launched in 1982, mainly to train front line staff teaching and managing   literacy programmes in the country. 

CURRENT TRENDS IN THE PROVISION OF DISTANCE EDUCATION IN BOTSWANA 1991 - 2001 

As indicated earlier Botswana has a long history of correspondence education.  The largest provider has been the Distance Education Division of the Department of Non-formal Education (DED/DNFE),   followed by the University of Botswana, and since 1993 the Institute of Health Sciences at Serowe.  In 1993 the National Commission on Education recommended the establishment of a Botswana College of Distance Education as an autonomous body.  The reasons were that it was necessary to expand distance education provision and this was not possible within the Distance Education Division of (DNFE) as it did not have the capacity nor the necessary resources to run full fledged distance education programmes.  It was therefore necessary to create a college outside (DNFE) which would be more independent in the decision - making process and develop its own policy-making structures  that would render it more effective than when it operated as a sub-division of a government ministry (Dodds 1996).  The college would provide out-of-school secondary school courses, pre-tertiary vocational and professional courses for adults and post literacy and extension work.  Specifically the college would target:

§         School age children who are not in a conventional school for one reason or other who need education.

§         Adults who lack basic education

§         Young adolescents who wish to complete their secondary level education.

§         Adults who wish to improve their academic and work-related skills, or those who wish to acquire new knowledge, skills and attitudes in order to improve their quality of life as individuals and members of their communities. 

These target groups are well discussed in the National Commission on Education of 1993. 

The Botswana College Of Distance And Open Learning (Bocodol) 

In, fulfilment of the recommendations of the National Commission on Education (1993), the Botswana College of Distance and Open Learning (BOCODOL) was set up by legislation in 1998.  In addition to offering Junior Certificate and Senior Secondary courses, the college has undertaken to develop courses for people who wish to improve their academic and job related qualifications, at the pre-tertiary level.  It also has the mandate to develop post literacy programmes for new literates who wish to embark on income-generating activities in the informal sector. 

During the last two years of its existence, the college has acquired key staff and made arrangements to induct them in skills for distance and open learning.  It has also embarked on an ambitious course development programme to generate learning materials for its heterogeneous clientele.    The college has also introduced a new learner support system in some of its proposed regional community study centres.  The study centres have been identified on the basis of urban, semi-urban, rural  remoteness and vastness of the geographical area.  The college has also developed a computerised information management system (IMS) to capture data on enrolment, retention, learner performance and tutor related information (Mokaeya 2001). 

The Centre For Continuing Education (CCE), University Of Botswana

The National Commission on Education (1993) recommended the provision of continuing education to young people and adults in order to enable them to further their academic and professional qualifications through part-time studies, workshops and via distance and open learning schemes.  The commission further noted that the sustainance of continuing education to later for life-long learning requires strategic planning and proper coordination.  To facilitate this process, the commission recommended that an official policy be enunciated for all state educational institutions to offer part-time courses and to pay full time staff for extra work on these courses.  In order to provide distance education programmes more efficiently, the commission recommended that the CCE  be developed to become a lead agency for distance education programmes at the tertiary level.  So far there is no evidence of a policy that requires all educational institutions to offer continuing education programmes.  Secondly, the CCE is still building its capacity to facilitate provision of distance education programmes at the tertiary level.  This is despite the high demand from Faculties and Departments to service applicants who qualify but cannot be catered for through the conventional mode.  

Despite these constraints the CCE has revamped the Certificate in Adult Education by revising and updating the course materials (1996) which had been developed in 1982.  It has also launched the Diploma in Primary Education programme which is targeted to upgrade academic and professional qualifications of approximately 9000 Primary Teacher Certificate holders to the Diploma level.  The (CCE) is also developing course materials for B.Ed and M.Ed programmes and the Certificate in Accounting and Business Studies (CABS) and Diploma in Accounting and Business Studies (DABS).  With the planned expansion of University enrolment beyond 10,000 in the next 10 years the (CCE) in collaboration with other faculties has embarked on searching for readily available study materials to expedite programmes delivery process through open and distance learning.   

One major constraint in the provision of distance education programmes at the University of Botswana has been lack of study centres which would serve as reference points for viewing,  listening and reading.  These need to be established urgently and staffed with tutor-counsellors who can help students with academic and other personal problems.  When established, the study centres will also serve as quiet study places away from pressures of home where self-help study groups  can meet and discuss their subject content without unnecessary interference. 

Upgrading Nurses At The Institute Of Health Sciences - Serowe

The other government initiated distance education programme has been the General Nursing Upgrade programme which was started in 1994 to upgrade (1433) enrolled nurses to the Registered Nursing level.  So far, (1039) have been upgraded through the fulltime (residential programme) and the part-time (distance education programme).  Of the upgraded nurses, (401) were upgraded through the distance education mode.  The programme is targeted to come to an end during the 2001/2002 academic year by which time all the enrolled nurses will have been upgraded.  The distance education programme is delivered through printed modules supported by video tapes and attachment of learners to mentors and preceptors at the workplace.  The learners are also supported through face-to-face tutorials (Rathedi 2000).  The success of this programme has dispelled the myth that science oriented programmes cannot be offered through distance education.  One major constraint however has been lack of resources particularly person power to support learners at the workplace due to shortage of qualified staff.  The other one was lack of diversification in the use of modern technology such as teleconferencing and the use of the internet which would have been useful to provide visuals and elaborate practical concepts.  

So far I have presented the provision of major providers that is BOCODOL, the University of Botswana and the Institute of Health Sciences.  There are other government departments such as the Police College and the Department of Vocational Education and Training who are making plans to offer some of their programmes via open and distance mode of delivery.  In addition there are private institutions and individual entrepreneurs who are diversifying their activities to offer some of the programmes via  the distance mode. 

MODE OF DELIVERY 

The other thing worth mentioning here is that although distance education has been in existence in Botswana for over thirty years the mode of delivery is mainly print supported by radio, audio cassette tapes and face to face contact. The reason for selecting these media was that they were mainly the only ones available to majority of the  learners to provide two-way communication between learners, tutors and the providing institutions.  

But with the current  proliferation of telecommunications technology that combines computing with other media such as radio and the television, distance education programmes will diversify provision by tapping from this new technology.  Also with the injection of Information and Communications Technology (ICT) in Secondary Schools, Colleges of Education and Education Centres, distant learners will be able to use the most recent technology and get immediate feedback through faxes, e-mail and the  inter-net facilities. The other medium which will enhance open and distance learning is the cell phone which is now  accessible to learners particularly those who can afford it. 

POLICY IMPLICATIONS 

The Revised National Policy on Education (1994) makes interesting recommendations that are geared towards ensuring that distance education is fully utilised and existing programmes and structures fully utilised of special mention here are recommendations 77, 79, 83, 87, 97 and 104 which elaborate on:

§         The need to enunciate a policy that informs on shared use of educational facilities in order to optimise their utilisation in the provision of out-of-school education.

§         The establishment of a nation-wide distance education centre system for junior and senior secondary level requirements and those of adult learners.

§         The provision of adequate resources to develop the Distance Education Unit of the Centre for Continuing Education, University of Botswana in order to strengthen the provision of distance education programmes at the tertiary level.

§         The BOCODOL to provide for disabled and other hand capped students

§         The primary teacher certificate holders to be given an opportunity to upgrade their qualifications through part time study. 

While these recommendations attempt to increase access to educational opportunity for all, there are no policy guidelines to inform their interpretation or how they will be achieved.  For these recommendations to be achieved, there is need for a policy guideline that stipulates how out-of-school activities are to be co-ordinated and provided.  Currently, different providers do their own thing, with no reference to a co-ordinating body (Swartland 2000) resulting to no control of quality and standards of the education provided. 

Resource Sharing

The establishment of study centre system to cater for out of school distant learners requires a well coordinated harnessing of resources through collaboration of various stakeholders.  It is possible to create a nation-wide study centre system that utilities secondary schools, colleges of education and education centres.  However while the Ministry of Education is agreeable to this, move there is need to have a coordinator at the Ministry of Education head quarters to co-ordinate this function in order to ensure optimum use at reasonable costs.  The heads of the educational institutions also need sensitisation on the shared use of resources in order to provide education for all. 

Inventory Of Out Of School Programmes

Different learners require different out of school programmes that are offered either on a part time basis or through evening classes and via distance mode of delivery.  To facilitate access, there is need to compile an inventory of available out of school programmes and indicate the providers and the mode of delivery.  Such inventories could then be placed at study centres where potential learners enquiry about courses can be informed about what courses are available, where and how they are provided.  

Accreditation

The other area that requires critical analysis is accreditation,  credit transfer and accumulation of credits on educational programmes that are offered through open and distance learning mode.  While the need for maintaining academic standards between conventional and distance mode programmes is appreciated, it should be noted that a distant learner studies on a part - time basis and can only continue if a programme is offered in a flexible manner.  

Distant learners should be given credits through pre-entry tests which determine the level at which they should enter a training programme.  If the programme in question is also offered on a pre-service basis, distant learners should not be subjected to regulations that govern the pre-service programme bearing in mind that the distant learner's circumstances are different from those of conventional students. Distant learners particularly  working bring with them a world of experience that must be considered when deciding the point at which they should enter a training programme. 

So far, there is no National Qualifications Authority to regulate the examinations process. However, one of the tasks  of the  the proposed Botswana Training Authority  and the Tertiary Education Council would be to develop standards that would facilitate credit transfer.  As indicated by (Leburu-Sianga, 2000), the Tertiary Education council  will be expected to carry out the following functions:

§         Formulate policy on tertiary education and advise government accordingly;

§        Co-ordinate the long term planning and overall development of tertiary education

§         Co-ordinate the management of tertiary education;

§         Ensure maintenance of standards for courses of study and examinations in tertiary education institutions. 

The expectations are that when operational, the National Qualifications Authority will regulate the examinations process from  pre-tertiary to the tertiary level for both conventional and distance education programmes. 

Developing Quality Open And Distance Learning Study Materials

As already indicated the government Botswana recognises the potential of distance education to increase access to educational opportunity to those who cannot attend conventional institutions for one reason or other.  Given the limited financial and human resources which cannot allow setting up of additional institutions, distance education has the potential to increase student enrolment and raise educational standards.  To achieve these goals, the government should formulate a policy that requires distance education institutions both public and private to provide efficient and effective development, production and distribution of quality learning materials. This will enhance the status of distance education programmes among sceptics who still perceive it as second best to conventional systems.  Quality study materials can be developed by having the same teachers who teach in connectional programmes write, review and edit the course materials.  The other alternative for Botswana would be to appoint a nationally recognised institution such as the University of Botswana or BOLODOL to supervise materials development for other institutions in order to promote credibility of distance education programmes.  During the course development process, it is essential to subject the study materials to pre-testing using potential students after peer review, and revise them accordingly.  This process would ensure development of study materials that are appropriate and relevant to the social, cultural and academic backgrounds of the perceived target groups.  The other approach though time consuming is to subject course materials to a pilot and revise them accordingly before opening a programme for mass consumption. 

However pretesting materials and conducting pilots has not been possible in Botswana because in most cases the political drive is to offer a programme as soon as possible.  While this approach may make politicians popular, to the electorate it has adverse effects if study materials are too difficult for learners to cope with. The other constraint that distance education programmes face is delays in materials development particularly in dual-mode institutions since writers, reviewers and editors are recruited on a part time basis (Perraton and Creed 1999).  These delays set back course delivery dates to students.  Part time staff also complain of low remuneration rates for services rendered.  Even where writers, reviewers and editors are progressing well, there are delays in materials production because many part time staff do not possess adequate information and communications technology literacy skills which are necessary in order to expedite the materials development and production process.   

On the part of learners the information communications technology has not been accessible for course delivery because many of them are not connected to computers.  However in recent years the government of Botswana has formulated a policy that requires all, junior and senior secondary schools and colleges of education to be computerised.  Once this process is completed, it will be possible to utilise information technology to:

§         Convey content to learners on line or on CD-ROM.

§         Provide and get immediate feedback from learners.

§        Use interactive or smart classrooms via satellite, ordinary fax, e-mail and inter-net facilities to enhance fast and efficient communication process. 

Management Of Open And Distance Education Programmes At The National And Institutional Level

While various development plans, and the Revised National Policy on Education advocate development of distance education programmes in Botswana, there are no national policy guidelines that indicate how open and distance education will be provided.  The major obstacle is that open and distance learning is still at the periphery of the educational system and is still regarded as appropriate for those who could not enter the formal educational system at various levels, (Swartland 1999).  Also there is inadequate understanding of the concept of distance education amongst the general public and administrators and policy makers who still interpret the provision of distance education from attitudes and  values acquired from the conventional system (Singh 1992).  Also, there are very few people trained in the techniques and methodologies of distance education at the policy  and decision making level to adequately  advocate for open and  distance education.  Given this scenario, decisions taken for distance education do not provide adequately for its provision.  Except for BOCODOL which is autonomous in its decision making process and policy formulation, the Distance Education Unit at the Centre for Continuing Education, University of Botswana has no autonomy in initiating courses. .  In contrast to BOCODOL which is exclusively  committed to the needs and demands of its distance learners and has greater freedom and flexibility to devise its academic programmes and introduce innovations in the teaching methodologies, the Distance Education Unit within the University of Botswana has no mandate to start an academic programme without reference and blessings from an academic department/faculty within the University. 

This lack of participation in the decision making process has diverse implications on programme delivery.  For example it takes a long time to defend staff development and training for academic subject co-ordinators many of whom join the unit without training in skills and techniques in distance education.  Secondly  remunerating part time staff requires justification resulting to delays in materials development and production . There is need therefore for senior management particularly in dual mode institutions to be sensitised in policy-making, planning and management for distance education.  They need to understand the developmental, administrative, production and service functions carried out in support of distance education programmes, (Prebble 1990).  In order to change the mind sets of policy makers in dual mode institutions there is need to:

§         Conduct orientation  programmes on open and distance learning so as to expose  policy makers to its requirements.

§         Ensure that institutional developmental plans take into consideration the need of open and  distance education programmes. 

This means that planning for the provision of open and distance education programmes has to be integrated in the general Institutional Plans of all academic programmes. 

Learner Support Provision

Provision of learner support services has been the weakest component of distance education in Botswana.  Before BOCODOL became an autonomous institution by legislation in 1998, regional learner support services  for students enrolled with the Distance Education Unit, of the (DNFE) were provided by core staff employed to  perform other duties within DNFE (Nonyongo 1999).  Providing learner support services to distant learners was therefore not a priority. But with the de-linking of BOCODOL from the DNFE, the provision of learner support will improve considerably.  The same cannot be said about the University of Botswana which has still to make provisions to establish a learner support system for its distant learners. 

In order to co-ordinate resources for learner support, there is need for the Ministry of Education to formulate a policy which will define a collaborative utilisation of resources.  There is need to establish how classroom, laboratories and libraries for conventional students will be utilised to cater for distance education system.  There is also a need to carry out a sensitisation and information giving drive to create awareness about the needs of distant learners to the managers of conventional educational institutions. 

Collaboration With Other Institutions

Provision of distance education thrives on the utilisation of existing resources without re-inventing the wheel.  Currently, the main providing institutions have no forum for sharing information, materials and expertise in order to provide quality  open and distance education programmes. Although the University of Botswana, BOCODOL and the Institute of Health Sciences belong to the Distance Education Association of Southern Africa (DEASA), which is a regional association, with member countries from the Southern Africa Development Community (SADC) , these institutions have no common ground which they can use to lobby government on policy formulation for the creation of a national distance education system.  

There is need therefore to form an Open and Distance Education Association for Botswana which will bring together all practitioners to articulate the needs of distance education in the country. Towards this end plans are at an advanced stage to form an national distance education association for Botswana. Once it is formed the association could also advise government about collaboration with other institutions at the national, regional and international level.  Collaboration at the regional level will go along way towards meeting the objectives of the SADC Protocol on distance education (contained on P21), whose aims are:

§         To improve access to education and training and to reduce the in-equalities in the acquisition of education and training.

§        To work towards achieving universal literacy and numeracy.

§         To reduce the cost of education and training by maximising on the economies of scale offered by distance education. 

Given the limited resources, distance education institutions at the national level in Botswana and at the regional level could collaborate particularly in materials development and training considering that many budding distance education providers lack trainers for distance education.  There is also need for short institutional visits to gain hands on experience on the operations of distance education.  In the provision of learner support and institutional management, institutions from Botswana can learn a lot from their counterparts such as the Namibia College of Open Learning (NAMCOL) which has a well established regional study centre system. 

PROBLEMS AND CONSTRAINTS 

While the Revised National Policy on Education of 1994 emphasises the importance of distance education for out of school youths and adults, there are no policy guidelines which indicate how distance education will be provided at the national and institutional level.  This leads to a number of problems and constraints. 

1. At the national level, there is no formal coordination of distance education provision in the same manner primary education, secondary education and teacher education is provided for.  As such it is not possible to co-ordinate, monitor  and maintain standards for open and distance education programmes. 

2. Distance Education is perceived from the programme perspective e.g. teacher up grading through distance education.  It is therefore assigned an officer  with other duties who is often over worked and has little time to concentrate on distance education.  As a result, activities of distance education  do not form top priority. 

3. There is no designated financial and administrative support for distance education as a system. Since the government recognises open and distance education as a viable vehicle for providing educational opportunity to all, there is need  to set up co-ordinating structures at the national level to co-ordinate activities of different.

4. There is no policy on allocation and sharing of resources with other institutions to service practical subjects offered in distance education.  Distance education requires classrooms, laboratories and chemicals, home science rooms, studios for art and craft fields for Physical Education and gardens for agriculture.  Lack of policy leaves institutions to negotiate shared use and sometimes there are difficulties of transferring funds across institutions due to government financial management, accounting and control regulations.

5. At the institutional level, there is no policy on training of staff in skills for distance education except for BOCODOL which manages its own affairs as a single mode institution.  Policy makers, many of whom have limited or  no background in distance education, find it difficult to accept that distance education relies heavily on teams of highly qualified specialists who are expected to apply their skills as individuals but also advise groups of writers and editors.  This results to frustration and despondency for those applying for training in distance education but their applications are not always approved. 

6. There is no policy to co-ordinate the provision of learner support systems.  Providers of distance education programmes are left to negotiate the shared use of resources with other institutions.  This process is long and tedious as providers must wait for permission to be sought from higher authorities regarding shared use of resources.  Working on modalities of shared use delays the process even  further. 

7. Since the Centre for Continuing Education at the University of Botswana is not an academic but a service department, it cannot initiate a distance education programme without partnering with an academic department on issues of admission, registration, assessment and awards. In the past, this has made  it difficult for the (CCE) to launch courses that are outside the jurisdiction of the university academic programmes.  There is need for policy guidelines that stipulate clearly how the CCE should partner with other Institutions outside University provision and particularly when delivering courses that do not fall within those regulated by the Board of Affiliation, of the University of Botswana.

CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS 

In Botswana, distance education evolved from the system of correspondence education which was  initially set up to train untrained primary school teachers.  The main mode of delivery was the printed materials supported by radio and audio and weekend tutorials. Over the time, the target groups have diversified from teacher education to secondary education. As the demand for further education increases against limited resources, the country has embarked on planning to provide degree programmes to those who cannot be absorbed in the conventional institutions. Also diversifying are the media to be used. With the introductions of telecommunications and computing   there are future plans to  introduce teleconferencing, video conferencing  and smart classrooms in the mode of delivery.   

For distance education to grow, Botswana needs to put together a national learner support system that which will bring services to students nearer their homes, by harnessing the available resources. Already BOCODOL  towards this goal. There is also need to  formulate a national policy that stipulates clearly how distance education will be provided in the country. In India for example the Indira Gandhi National Open University, IGNOU has the responsibility to coordinate and maintain standards of all open and distance  systems.  

REFERENCES

Burchfield, S. (ed) (1994) Research for Educational Policy and Planning in Botswana, Gaborone, Macmillan. 

Dodds, T. (1996) Implementation Report on the Establishment of a Botswana Distance     Education College, Gaborone. (mimiograph) 

Dodds. T., Nonyongo E.P. and J. Glenny (1999), Cooperation, Competition or dominance: A Challenge in Southern Africa.  In Harry, K. (ed) Higher Education through Open And Distance Learning, London, Routledge.  

Government of Botswana (1993) National Commission On Education, Gaborone, Government Printer. 

Government of Botswana (1994).  The Revised National Policy on Education, April 1994, Gaborone:  Government Printer. 

Government of Botswana (1997) National Development Plan 8 (1997/98 - 2002/03), Gaborone, Government Printer. 

Jones K. (1979) A Survey of Distance Education Provisions in Botswana. Institute of Adult Education, University of Botswana. 

Leburu-Sianga, F. (2000) Botswana National Diagnosis:  The Pan Africa Policy Dialogue on Teacher Training by Distance and Open Learning, Gaborone. 

Mokaeya, B. (2001) Botswana College of Distance and Open Learning BOCODOL) Report, presented at the DEASA meeting held at UNISA (Pretoria) South Africa between 24-25 March 2001. 

Mphinyane, O. P. (1993) Distance Education in Botswana: Its present and potential role in Human Resource Development.  Unpublished Dissertation submitted in partial Fulfilment of the Masters of Arts Degree in Education and Development, University Of London, Institute of Education. 

Mudariki, T. and O. Tau (1992) The Role of the University in Distance Education.  Conference Proceedings of the National Conference on Distance Education held between 4-7 February 1992 at Oasis Motel, Tlokweng, Botswana. 

Nonyongo, E.P. (1999), Learner Support Consultancy: Review and assessment of the BOCODOL Learner Support System, Gaborone, COCODOL. 

Rerraton, H. and C. Creed, (1999) Distance Education Practice:  Training and Rewarding Authors. No. 33.  London, Department  For International Development. 

Prebble, T. (1990) Training in Distance Education:  Policy, Planning and Management.  In Perspective on Distance Education:  Report on Training Distance Education Educators, Voncouver, Commonwealth of Learning. 

Pule, T.K. (1992) The Distance Education Unit of the Department of Non-Formal Education from Inception to the Present.  Conference proceedings of the national Conference on Distance Education held between 4-7 February 1992 at Oasis Motel, Tlokweng, Botswana. 

Singh, A.  (1992) Perspectives in Distance Education:  Distance Education in India, Vancouver, Commonwealth of Learning. 

South African Development Community (SADC) (1997) Protocol on Education and Training, Blantyre. 

Swartland, J. (2000) Key note address given at the DEASA meeting held at the Botswana Productivity Centre, Gaborone, Botswana between 15-17th September, 2000.