Distance Education: An Alternative Approach to Alleviate the Shortage of Qualified Primary School Teachers in Ethiopia"

Abstract

Distance education is a form of educationru program in which most of
instruction takes place in a situation where the teacher and the learners are;
distance from one another, and some form of technology is used to facili
communication and to bridge information gap. It gives students the flexibilitUOlJtI
learn at home or work place, and offers substantial cost savings. Altho
distance education is a popular and widely used concept in most of
developcd and developing countries, it is still at an infancy stage in Ethid wq
One of the reasons for this could be lack of awareness about the cDntributJ8H~
of distance education in enhancing social and economic activities in general and
in upgrading teachers' qualifications in particular.
The major objective of this paper is ,therefore, to create an awareness 'among
policy makers planners, professionals, and other concerned bodies about the
role distance education plays in improving the quality and qualif~cation of
primary school teachers, and to raise the i~sue for further discussion and
research. Besides, the paper tries to demonstrate the ways of organizing and
administering distance education programs in different parts of the country