Open and Distance Education in North East India: Status and Challenges

Open and distance education system has emerged as an important alternative to formal education in the modern world. Due to its easy accessibility, cost-effectiveness and flexibility, the system has been able to reach people living in far flung and isolated areas. Mizoram, one of the states in the North East corner of India, too has witnessed a significant growth in open and distance learning system both at the tertiary and at the school level since the late eighties. There is a rapid quantitative expansion in study centres, diversification of courses and in enrolment of learners. The present study examined various aspects of the status and development of open and distance education in Mizoram. The study clearly demonstrated that open and distance education plays a crucial role in providing access to diverse educational programme to a large number of learners who lived in isolated places and who cannot afford regular conventional education due to poverty and full time engagement in other activities.