| The Policy and Programs domain provides information about issues at national,
international, and institutional levels. It also contains information specific to such
program areas as higher education, community education, teacher in-service training,
professional continuing education, military training, vocational education and children's
education. It deals with such issues as those arising from the policy decision to
establish a distance education system in the first place. Different policy
considerations come into play in dealing with competing educational interests within a
country or within an institution. National policies focus on resource management,
particularly setting up procedures for rationalizing the use of technologies as a distance
education resource. A perennial concern focuses on quality of programs and is manifested
in policies regarding regulation, monitoring and accrediting of distance education
delivery systems.
Within distance teaching institutions there is a similar range of policy issues,
including questions of balancing the resources allocated for distance education against
those of conventional provision, and the different roles of teaching faculty. One of the
most sensitive policy issues of the present day concerns the role of distance teaching
institutions in teaching in foreign countries, and the response of national educational
authorities to this encroachment.
Institutional Policy
• National Policy • Global Policy • Program
and Sector Policy
See Related South African Quality Criteria:
More Resources
Magetse, T. 1997. Information and Communication Technology Policy in
Education, A paper presented at the National Workshop on 'ICT in Swaziland
Education' held October 2, 1997, Royal Swazi Spa, Swaziland.
Kamau, J.W. & Mphinyane, O.P. 1998. Integration of
Distance Education Institutions of other Southern Africa Development Community (SADC)
Member Countries into the Distance Education Association for Southern Africa (DEASA),
Paper presented at the DEASA 25th Anniversary 23 - 25 October 1998.
ZINADOL. 1997. Constitution of the Zimbabwe National
Association for Distance and Open Learning
Ministry of Education, Sport and Culture. 1996. Policy
Planning Annual Workshop Division of Adult and Non-Formal Education Report
Zimbabwe Open University (no date) The Mission of the
Open University
ZINADOL. 1998. Zimbabwe National Association for
Distance and Open Learning (ZINADOL). Fact Sheet no. 1. March 1998.
ZINADOL. 1999. Submission of the Zimbabwe National
Association for Distance and Open Learning (ZINADOL) to the commission of inquiry into
education and training.
Malawi College of Distance Education. 1995. The
Status of Distance Education in Malawi.
Dodds, T. 1996. The University of Namibia for
the People of Namibia: A Vision of Development for the Centre for External Studies.
Ministry of Information. 1998. Communication Sector Policy Statement.
Kuhanga, N.A. 1990. The need for, and the possibilities
of, Distance Education at tertiary level in Tanzania. Paper presented at a
symposium to mark 20 years of adult education in Tanzania, held at the University of Dar
Es Salaam, 3-7 September 1990.
Ministry of Education. 1998. Draft National Policy
Statement on Education. Swaziland resource.
Magagula, C.M. 1997. The establishment of the
Institute of Distance Education at the University of Swaziland. |
