Abstract:
The general objective of this paper is to assess the challenges and opportunities in maintaining the
accessibility and quality education through ODL. In Ethiopia, Open and distance learning mainly started with
the emerging of private higher educational institutions. Since then, open and distance learning has passed
through various challenges and opportunities. Descriptive research has employed to assess the issue of
challenges and opportunities that St. Mary University encountered in maintaining of accessibility and quality
education through ODL. Since the nature of the data contains both numerical and non-numerical data, mixed
research method has been found proper. Questionnaire, in-depth interview and non-participatory observation
tools were used to collect both the quantitative and qualitative data from graduate students and staffs of ODL
units of St. Mary University. According to this paper finding, the accessibly of ODL and its quality has not
gone as the time and technology allowed to go because of different obstructions. Thus, various elements has
been found accountable for these problems. For the sake of better manageability, these elements has
summarized in to four themes; such as distance, Market, attitude, and ICT. In contrast to this, CODL also will
have opportunities if only St. Mary university able to increase the accessibility of ODL with quality education
as fast as possible. To increase the accessibility and quality of ODL, St Mary University should take the
experience of better world’s universities in ODL and try to Ethiopianize for better implementation and result.
Here, Ethiopianize refers to considering the Ethiopian peoples’ cultural, social, economic, political and
geographical distribution and adopting the experience of others especially in application of ICT. Furthermore,
St. Mary University should encourage and strive innovations in ICT to modernize ODL system.
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