Article:
http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/0268051970120203
Ali, M. S., Haque, A. K. E. & Rumble, G. (1997) The Bangladesh Open University: mission and promise. Open Learning: The Journal of Open and Distance Learning, 12:2, 12 - 28
Abstract: This article describes the establishment of the Bangladesh Open University (BOU). It discusses the role the planners of the BOU envisaged for the University as a university offering tertiary level qualifications, and as a university offering non-formal and secondary school equivalency programmes. It describes the extent to which these plans were changed, and why. It evaluates the extent to which the early plans for the University have been achieved, and some of the problems still faced. In doing so, it offers the BOU as an appropriate model for the development of distance education in a Third World setting. M. Shamsher Ali was the founding Vice-Chancellor of the Bangladesh Open University; A. K. Enamul Haque, now at North South University, Dhaka, was Dean of the School of Business at the BOU; and Greville Rumble is Director of the South East Region at the Open University, UK, and was Chief Technical Adviser to the Bangladesh Open University project.
The establishment of the Bangladesh Open University (BOU) came in the wake of the 1992 University Privatization Act, which was the first in wave of free market reforms enacted by the first democratically elected government in Bangladesh in 10 years. Since then, BOU has gone on to enroll a substantial number of students across the country through its innovative distance education courses. Although this article was written 10 years ago its importance lies in the illumination it provides on the initial challenges and lessons learned by the BOU in its first half-decade of operation.
The authors begin with an overview of the spectrum of scholarly thought on the merits of distance education as a critical tool in tackling the world-wide problem of educational access. Although they present both optimistic as well cautious views on the viability of distance education in third world countries, they conclude the overview section with the identification of general consensus on distance education's potential.
The early thinking behind the need for BOU was the result of a series of studies undertaken by the UK's Overseas Development Agency (ODA) between 1987 and 1989, followed by a similar Asian Development Bank (ADB) study between 1989 and 1991. The ADB study in particular provided the impetus for a project feasibility study and subsequent loan of US$ 34 million to the government of Bangladesh for the establishment of BOU. Interestingly, the pilot project for BOU included an in-depth needs assessment study of both the stakeholders (potential distance students) as well as experts to gauge interest in potential courses to be offered through BOU. The results of the needs assessment study was a proposal for the following courses to be offered through BOU:
the Secondary School Certificate;
the Certificate in Arabic Language Proficiency;
the Certificate in English Language Proficiency;
the Diploma in Computer Applications;
the Diploma in Management;
the Bachelor of Nursing;
the Certificate and Bachelor of Education.
Although rural students, women and out-of-school youth were the primary target of BOU studies revealed that BOU tertiary degree programmes were in fact, no reaching the deprived rural masses as originally planned. However, there is some question as to whether tertiary education would be in demand in such a demographic. More heartening though were the enrolment numbers for BOU's Secondary School Certificate (SSC) programme, which garnered students nationwide, a large number of whom were female.
BOU's course material was provided in four major formats at the time of the article: Text in the form of print, audio in the form of broadcasting, television in the form of broadcasting, and direct human contact through actual classroom lectures. The fifth identified form of distance education delivery, computers, was not used by BOU at that period in time. Of these delivery methods, BOU's print materials achieved a high standard in becoming acceptable for use in traditional universities across Bangladesh, a high honour for an experimental newcomer such as BOU. In terms of TV and Radio, BOU was broadcast by the national, terrestrial radio and as television stations in 25 minute blocks five days a week. A complicating factor was the unequal distribution along economic lines of receivers, especially televisions, which were available to only 3% of rural populations. Although it is possible that this situation has improved since then.
The article concludes on a note of hope and general satisfaction with the performance of BOU in its first half-decade. The authors use the high admission numbers and the promise of future sustainability from student fees to predict the continued expansion and increasing relevance of Bangladesh Open University.
Implications
A concept such as the BOU is a critical component of any holistic distance education solution, especially in third world countries where alternative modes of access are often wanting. There is a weakness in the broadcast format of Open Universities as pointed out by the authors however:
Firstly, individuals need to learn how to learn from broadcasts. Secondly, broadcasts tend to present 'experts' who are remote from the experience of the viewer and listener - that is, the expert is someone 'out there', providing input which gives the listeners/viewers very little chance to become problem-solvers in their own right (22).
This is entirely expected, in the absence of actual human interaction an intermediary device or tool is needed that will enable participating students to have an interactive, confirmatory feedback from their participation in class activity or problem solving. What are the potential for mobile devices being the intermediary device here? Undoubtedly mobile penetration has increased exponentially in Bangladesh in the decade since the writing of this article, both familiarity, comfort and cost would be factors working in the favour of mobile devices (phones) as this intermediary tool as opposed to competing technology such as laptops or desktops. It would be interesting to see what the next survey conducted by BOU reveals.