Empowerment through literature: potential & prospects of ODL

Abstract

Increasingly, Distance Learning is becoming the medium of choice for education. Earlier, it was, to a great extent chosen out of compulsion due to various factors: geographical remoteness, professional commitments, lack of access to educational institutions and so on. Now, there is a marked shift away from conventional, formal education towards the open learning system and one can see students enrolling for ODL courses even if they are conveniently situated and within access to formal institutions of repute. Factors such as flexibility and independent study influence student choice to a significant extent. Formal education in a conventional, straitjacketed setup is now facing a stiff challenge from the more liberal – and liberating – open mode.