Open and Distance Learning Framework for National Development

A national development plan always have a series of educational plans, policies and strategies on building up human resources that will man and oil the various sectors of the economy. In fact, these days, human capacity development index and the accessibility to information and education is what is use to measure a country economy and development. The growth rate of information accessibility through the internet and the revolution of education generally has made human development capacity to be more enhanced, achievable and cost effective than it was in the 70's and 80's. Most of these education policies centers round small, medium and high skills acquisition through various education programs meant to developed human resources thus increasing and enhancing the human capacity development index. This over time has been what advanced economies uses to transform all sectors of their economy. It is therefore quite easy to say that education programs geared towards human resources development translated to the high per capital income which also means an improved gross domestic product ratings for that economy. Against this backdrop, It has become very easy to deploy middle level and tertiary education through the electronic and the internet technology which can handle mass education either through distance learning and online via elearning strategies that abound globally today. The cost effective nature of the deployment of these electronic media(elearning, internet, distance learning technologies etc) has made human resources capacity development to be achieve faster in both short run and long run planning for the 21st century economies. This arrangement has made the walls of the 21st century universities to be broken into the global arena where intakes are no longer limited to the local confines of the geographic location of the universities. Thus if university education were to be more accessible to the teeming population of globally qualified candidates to produce the much needed high level human resources in sufficient quantities and quality to drive  the nation's developmental  processes, governments has to seriously consider exploiting other avenues of providing access to university education in addition to the conventional face-to-face mode. Below are what should constitute a framework inputs for open and distance learning geared for development 1. A recognition and a place for Open and Distance Learning(ODL) in the nation's education policy. 2. The political will for equal and adequate educational opportunities at all levels irrespective of gender, race, status and otherwise with ODL as a vehicle for the access to education for All. 3. The need for a more elastic and accessible model of education which includes online mode of accessing education contents 4. A semblance of Open and Distance education system for higher education 5. Investment in broadband technologies to enhance education contents and access electronically 6. Incentives for telecommunication industry in providing access infrastructure for rural communities to benefit from ODL 7. Exploitation of close users circuit groups by disperse students through the telecommunications infrastructure to access education contents - this will reduce significantly the cost of access.