Distance education and the World Bank

This article is based on a study undertaken for the Education and Training Department at the World Bank which reviewed 32 Bank projects 1963–1985 that included education via broadcasting (television and/or radio) and by correspondence. It is clear that Bank investments in distance education were most beneficial when the borrowing country and the Bank agreed on the educational objectives of the distance education component. It is also clear that distance education was most effective when it was sharply focussed on improving the quality of teaching available, when it was used to offer non-formal education to students who were without teachers and classrooms, and/ or when it met social demands and answered urgent needs for formation of human capital through education and training.