ORIGIN OF DISTANCE EDUCATION:
Honorable Harold Wilson was born in Huddlers field in 1916. He was educated at Oxford University where he influenced tutor, G.D.HCole. He became a Lecturer in economics at Oxford. Honorable Wilson, Member of the Labor Party was selected as the parliament candidate for Ormskirk and in 1945 was elected to the House of Commons. Honorable Wilson was only 29, when he was appointed as parliamentary secretary of the Ministry of Fuel &Power. During the 1964 general election campaign, Wilson promised to modernize Britain. Making full use of his academic background, Honorable Wilson was able to obtain a five seat majority is House of Commons. After the 1966 general election, this majority was increased to 97.
He was twice elected as the Prime Minister of Britain. Honourable Harold Wilson was the founder of the Open University. Education held special significance for a socialist of Wilsons generation, in view of its role in both opening up opportunities for students from working class backgrounds and enable the UK to seize the potential benefits of scientific advances. Honourable Harold Wilson™s major aim for the concept of an Open University was to give adults,who missed out on tertiary education, a second chance through part time study and distance learning. In 1966, Wilson was the first chancellor of the newly created University of Bradford, a position, he held until 1985. In Sept. 1967 a cabinet planning committee was set up to work out a comprehensive plan for an Open University. Prospectuses of Open University were published in 1969 (before the courses were prepared) and it was clear that there was enough interest for the Open University to succeed. The first Open University students began to study in 1971.
By the end of the 1970’s, the Open University was firmly established asa respected educational institution with 70,000 students, and 6,000 graduating each year. Since then, the Open University has been at forefront of the education – application of new technology from video, through the advent of personal computers to internet. Today, the Open University supports the largest online academic community in the world, where some 4, 00, 00 users and student sareengaged in more than 96,000 electronic conferences. The Open University iswidely regarded as higher education to all, regardless of background or previous educational qualification.
The concept of Distance education originated from Berlin (Germany) in 1856. Afterwards, Russia granted recognition to Distance Education in the world.In this manner, the idea of open university was conceived by the British Prime Minister Mr. Harold Wilson, in the year 1863 to provide an opportunity to persons who were otherwise denied opportunities to further their education and make their life successful. In 1996, under the Royal Charter an open university was established. The success of which was more far reaching than the traditional stress on open universities. Under the New Education Policy 1986,the Government of India laid particular stress on Open Universities and Distance Education.