The Paradox of Distance Education in Girls' Education

Distance education has a vital role in creating and providing access to education for all. However, the role of distance education can be paradoxical in girls’ education. On one hand, socio-economic conditions, health issues, and geographical distance are noted as some major barriers to girls’ educational attainment. One of the most disadvantaged groups is out-ofschool children who cannot continue their formal education for different reasons including armed conflict and war, poverty, and social discrimination. In that sense, distance education plays a significant role in creating access to education as a human right. On the other hand, from the perspective of feminism and social reproduction theory, distance education may reproduce and perpetuate existing inequalities. For example, if education is confined to homes with distance education, this may reinforce or even legitimize the idea of females living in isolation, away from public spheres. Taking these issues into account, we highlight some ethical issues in the provision of distance education for girls’ education through a qualitative analysis of reports and peer-reviewed articles