ABSTRACT
Although external control and internal quality assurance are interconnected in practice, the circumstances within which they have developed are not identical. External control is one aspect of the history of correspondence and distance education, which were initially provided by organizations operating in the private sector and for profit. The desirability of state-regulated commerce in this as in other areas has been less contested because the need to protect the consumer in such circumstances is well recognized. Minimal standards and rights set up by local or national authorities have been welcomed as the minimum safety net for users, and beneficial for providers through their creation of a recognized and respectable framework within which organizations can provide their services.
