The Indian government has expressed a strong commitment towards education for all; however, India still has one of the lowest female literacy rates. This low level of literacy not only has a negative impact on women’s lives but also on their families’ lives and on their country’s economic development. Numerous studies have shown that illiterate women have generally high levels of maternal mortality, poor nutritional status, low earning potential, and little autonomy within the household. A woman’s lack of education also has a negative impact on the health and well being of her children. The lack of an educated population can be an impediment to the country’s economic development.

Education of girls and women in general has been a high priority with the Government of India. India has consolidated its earlier educational reforms with increased resources and stronger policy commitments for achieving elementary education for all children, particularly girls. The leaders of our freedom movement realized the importance of girls’ education and had put it as a prime agenda for national development.

The Need and Importance of Distance Education

The concept of distance learning has emerged in various advanced countries of the world.Distance education also serves the dropouts, older students and disadvantaged groups. Distance system also serves the persons involve in the community commitments as indicated by S. Manjulika and Reddy V.V (2000) Distance education has an important role to play in providing opportunities for women to participate in higher education. Indiresan, J (1996) the following points highlight the need and importance of distance Education.

Explosion of knowledge

There is explosion of knowledge because of rapid scientific and technological developments. The formal system of education on account of its rigidity and high cost, finds it difficult to incorporate new changes speedily as desired.

Population Explosion

Unprecedented growth rate of population has resulted in the corresponding increase in students. The formal education system serves a selected and limited number of students.

Varied Needs

Distance learning is needed to satisfy the varied needs of varied students.

Earning while Learning

Distance education is especially needed for those who want to learn while earning.

Desire to Improve Qualifications

There are many people who want to improve their educational qualifications while they are in jobs. Distance learning provides opportunities to such people to improve their qualifications.

Geographical Isolation

People may be geographical isolated because of distance or because a communication system has not been developed.

Social Isolation

People may be socially isolated or disadvantaged due to financial, physical, emotional or family circumstances.

For Different Ages

Distance learning can be used to teach people of different ages and to teach courses from a wide range of disciplines.

Universal Education

Distance learning is needed to achieve the cherished goal of the nation for universalization of education.

Democratic Aspirations

Distance learning is needed to meet the great demand for democratisation of education from those sections of society that is neglected.

Self – Improvement

Distance learning is needed from the point of view of self-learning and self-improvement of an individual who, otherwise is deprived of receiving proper education.

Boon for In - Service Aspirants

Open universities is a boon for in- service aspirants. They can improve their educational qualifications and by doing so, they can brighten up their chances of promotion.

Easy Access

It provides opportunities to large number of people who had previously been denied such opportunities.

Barriers to girls' education

There are several reasons for the low levels of literacy in India, not the least of which is the high level of poverty. Although school attendance is free, the costs of books, uniforms, and transportation to school can be too much; also more likely to keep girls at home to care for younger siblings or to work in family enterprises. If a family has to choose between educating a son or a daughter because of financial restrictions, typically the son will be chosen. Negative parental attitudes toward educating daughters can also be a barrier to a girl’s education. Many parents view educating sons as an investment because the sons will be responsible for caring for aging parents. On the other hand, parents may see the education of daughters a waste of money because daughters will eventually live with their husbands’ families, and the parents will not benefit directly from their education. The other barriers/ factors are:

Psychological barriers includes Limited career aspirations, Low self-esteem / under valuing of their skill, Feeling intimidated by male competitors.

Institutional Barriers includes bias in recruitment and promotion, Limited opportunity for exercising leadership, Women exclusive criteria, Omission of critical materials on and by women in class rooms, Lack of literate or leadership skills for women.

Situational Barriers includes Process of Socialization (Patriarchy),Cultural barriers, Family responsibilities, Lack of support from the family, Not being taken seriously, Campus climate, Lack of network support for coping, Time conflicts, Lack of mobility.

Inadequate School Facilities: Many schools do not have enough classrooms to

Accommodate all school-age children. And the classrooms that are available often lack basic necessities such as sanitary facilities and water.

Lack Of qualified female teachers: Girls are more likely to attend schools if they have female teachers. Girls are more comfortable and more vocal with lady teachers, thus actively focusing and participating in the learning process. Also, parents - especially in rural areas - are hesitant to send their girls to schools that have only male teachers.

Lack of transport facilities: Particularly in rural areas, transportation is needed for girls to attend middle and secondary schools, which are often far away from their homes. Primary education is often accessible much closer, but secondary education facilities assume that children will drop out as they age, and therefore fewer schools are established to cater to older children. Necessarily, therefore, these schools tend to be inaccessibly far away from many school-age girls.

Lack of hostel facilities for girls: Many girls desirous of pursuing education above middle level, facilities for which are available away from their homes, cannot avail themselves of these facilities due to lack of hostel arrangements.

Fear of sexual harassment: Parents often complain about insecurity for girls attending schools. Instances of abduction, rape and molestation of girls dampen the enthusiasm of parents and girl students in pursuing education beyond a certain age; thereafter they remain bound to their homes.

Fixed schooling hours: Fixed schooling hours do not suit girls in rural areas, as they are needed for domestic work at home or in farms and fields during these hours. This is one of the causes of lower participation rates of girls in education. The enrolment rates of girls and their retention can be improved if educational facilities are made available to girls during periods suitable to them when they are free from domestic chores. These factors combine to produce unattractive environments as a result of which their learning is severely compromised. A discriminatory attitude builds up among teachers and the greater society that witnesses girls dropping out in large numbers.

Why is girls' education important?

There are several compelling benefits associated with girls’ education, which include the reduction of child and maternal mortality, improvement of child nutrition and health, lower fertility rates, enhancement of women’s domestic role and their political participation, improvement of the economic productivity and growth, and protection of girls from HIV/AIDS, abuse and exploitation. Girls’ education yields some of the highest returns of all development investments, yielding both private and social benefits that accrue to individuals, families, and society at large Saira (2000) The following points highlights the importance of girls education:

Reducing women’s fertility rates. Women with formal education are much more likely to use reliable family planning methods, delay marriage and childbearing, and have fewer and healthier babies than women with no formal education.

Lowering infant and child mortality rates. Women with some formal education are more likely to seek medical care, ensure their children are immunized, be better informed about their children's nutritional requirements, and adopt improved sanitation practices. As a result, their infants and children have higher survival rates and tend to be healthier and better nourished.

Lowering maternal mortality rates. Women with formal education tend to have better knowledge about health care practices, are less likely to become pregnant at a very young age, tend to have fewer, better-spaced pregnancies, and seek pre- and post-natal care.

Protecting against HIV/AIDS infection. Girls’ education ranks among the most powerful tools for reducing girls’ vulnerability. It slows and reduces the spread of HIV/AIDS by contributing to female economic independence, delayed marriage, family planning, and work outside the home, as well as conveying greater information about the disease and how to prevent it.

Increasing women’s labour force participation rates and earnings. Education has been proven to increase income for wage earners and increase productivity for employers, yielding benefits for the community and society.

Creating intergenerational education benefits. Mothers’ education is a significant variable affecting children’s education attainment and opportunities. A mother with a few years of formal education is more likely to send her children to school. Girls’ education and the promotion of gender equality in education are vital to development, and policies and actions that do not address gender disparities miss critical development opportunities.

Contributions of distance learning

Distance learning is any type of education that occurs while location, time, or both separate the participants. In distance learning, the teacher, through the use of technology, delivers instructions to a student at a separate location (Siddiqui, H.M, 2004). Distance education, structure learning in which the student and instructor are separated by time and space, is currently the fastest growing form of domestic and international education (McIsaac, M.S & Gunawardena, C.N, 1996).Distance education can be used at primary and secondary education levels to provide both in-school and out-of-school programmes. In-school distance education programmes are used to support teaching in schools where learning materials are lacking, or where subject experts are not available. They may also be used where teachers do not have formal qualifications, or to support subjects where the number of pupils is too small to be able to organize conventional teaching. A variety of approaches are used, including Interactive Radio Instruction (IRI), schools radio, educational television through terrestrial and satellite networks, multimedia schemes delivered through satellite, and Web-based delivery of multimedia schemes. The materials may be designed for young children or for adolescents and adults. Distance Education is used in out-of school programmes both at primary and secondary level to educate school-age children and youth who are unable to attend ordinary schools, including those who are disabled, suffering from long-term illness, or living in remote areas or living outside their own countries. These programmes generally use correspondence methods, programmes are designed to provide lessons that parents can use to teach their own children. Other programmes are designed to be supported by teachers, with parents providing direct supervision. Out of school programmes for adults tend to provide basic education through a range of mode

The potential of distance learning

“Distance education is the form of indirect instruction. It is imparted by technical media such as correspondence, printed material, teaching and learning aids, audiovisual aids, radio, television and computers.” Distance education provides the desired education as highlighted by Ramaiah.R.T (2001). As in every other walk of modern life, the answer to the challenge of education of development will include the use of Information and Communication Technologies, provided the necessary organizational and policy changes can be implemented to make the technologies effective. A range of technological devices is now widely available and relatively cheap (e.g.CD-ROM, various Internet services). They are accepted and often available for domestic use as well as in the workplace.

Governments are concerned that educational institutions become connected to the emerging networks, that curricula include the knowledge of and acquaintance with new technologies, and that teachers are prepared and trained to use these new resources. Some of the benefits of distance learning are

· Balancing inequalities between age groups

· Extending geographical access to education

· Delivering educational campaigns and other education for large audiences

· Providing speedy and efficient training for key target groups

· Expanding the capacity for education in new and multidisciplinary subject areas

· Offering the combination of education with work and family life;

· Developing multiple competencies through recurrent and continuing education

· Enhancing the international dimension of educational experience

· Improving the quality of existing educational services.

The role of open and distance learning in educational innovation

The term open and distance learning represents approaches that focus on opening access to education and training provision, freeing learners from the constraints of the time and place, and offering flexible learning opportunities to individuals and groups of the learners Talesra (2004). “The open Universities have also increased access for other disadvantaged groups including older students, who may be geographically isolated or excluded from regular classes because of shift patterns, seasonal or other kind of work and family and community commitments.” Distance system of education utilizes printed material and non-print media support as reflected by Rao, K.V (2003). Open and distance learning has a major impact on thinking and practice throughout the whole educational system, regarding such important matters as:

· How students learn, how they can best be taught

· How educational resources might more efficiently be organized to deliver the instruction that is needed.

· Innovation in information and communication technologies

· To the identification of new learning needs and new ideas about how information may be accessed

· Has the potential to enhance a more student-centred and consumer-oriented approach to education, leading in turn to more extensive contact between educational institutions on the one hand and community-based organizations, business and industry on the other.

SUGGESTIONS:

Distance Education carry educational messages from the humanities to science courses, from elementary to higher education and training and from technical to health curricula. The following suggestions are made to increase the participation of women in distance education for their empowerment.

· Enhancing personnel contact programme between and learner and counselor through telephone internet etc.

· Enhancing personal contact among learners and to provide motivation towards learning.

· Awareness programme regarding the distance education courses for women in urban, rural and tribal areas will provide opportunity for women to gain knowledge about existing educational facilities.

· The courses for women in distance education should be application oriented so that it will help them in their economic and social empowerment.

· The course materials should be simple, preferably in regional languages to make women more comfortable to use.

· The gender component should be incorporated in the syllabus of all discipline.

· The fee should be affordable to weaker sections of the society especially women.

· Gender sensitization programmes should be organized to sensitize the teachers and learners.

· Confidence building and personally building programmes are essential to help women to overcome resistance in distance learning.

· Women should be motivated and trained to use technology for faster and easier learning.

· A separate channel for local T.V. and radio must be introduced to promote distance education for women.

· Study centers with a library should be opened in each village to facilitate women.

· A good response is required from the distance education providers for the enquiries of the learner from various places.

· Recognition is also required for distance education degrees among the educational institutions, employers and in the society.

· The quality of the study materials should be enhanced and availability should be made in time for the learners.

· The contact programmes in Distance Education should be flexible to suit to the timing of working women in urban and rural areas.

· Involvement of women councilors should be promoted

CONCLUSION:

Distance Education is an important milestone in the development of higher education and has great potential to equalize opportunities and take higher education to the door steps of women. It is expected that this school of distance education will lead to empowerment of women especially among rural and tribal women.

The presence of women in distance education is significant not only in the success of women as functionaries in the field but also in the recognition of women's experience as the basis for an adequate theory of distance education. Theories of distance education generated by men cannot speak for the experience of women. Women are necessarily central figures in developing appropriate theory and practice for a growing female learner population.

REFERENCES:

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Received on 05.07.2011

Accepted on 31.10.2011