Distance and Open Learning in Nigeria: Progress, Concerns and Prospects

Open and distance learning education in Nigeria started as a child of necessity born out of the need of people to learn at their convenience outside the confines of the four walls of the traditional conventional system of education. This need characterized its emergence and eventual growth which resulted in a paradigm shift from the traditional face-to-face mode of instruction to one that is delivered from a distance. These correspondence courses gradually and steadily metamorphosed through many stages to emerge as a mainstream instructional delivery mode covering a wide range of course/programmes in different fields of study, reaching people of varied ages and circumstances and using a variety of media. The progress made so far, the various concerns and challenges encountered in this process are enumerated in this paper. The future prospects are also highlighted