ABSTRACT
In 1988, there were 10 open universities in the 54 countries of the Commonwealth. Today, there are 27. There are four in Africa, with four more in planning, India has 14, catering to 25% of all enrolments in higher education, and Asia has over 70 open universities and the largest number of adult open and distance learners in the world. This trend is likely to continue. Half the world’s population of 6.5 billion is aged under 20 years and there are two billion teenagers in the developing world. By 2020, the World Bank predicts that to achieve sustainable economic development, 40–50% of the global workforce will need to be tertiary qualified ‘knowledge-workers’. With access to tertiary education currently at less than 10% of the relevant age group in, for example, South Asia and sub-Saharan Africa, existing institutions simply cannot cater for the rising demand. Universities that are open to people without formal academic qualifications and which teach by means of distance education, online learning or mixed-mode study will continue to be the only viable option for millions. The issues of the quality of these open universities become ever more pressing.
