Objectives of distance education

1. To provide an effective alternative path to wider opportunities in education and especially in higher education:

There are different categories of potential learners. There are some who never been able to enter into any institution of higher learning. There are some who just need additional knowledge in a particular discipline. There are still others who are in need of refresher courses to cope with the latest development in their perfection. For all of those, there is a need for distance learning or correspondence education.

2. To provide an efficient and less expensive education:

Provision of universal schooling is beyond the means of our country. Increasing population and limited resources is the predicament of our educational planners. It is difficult to divert huge sums of money in a developing economy to match the required level of expansion for traditional schooling. Distance education is the only practical alternative.

3. To provide education facilities to all qualified and willing persons:

The objective of correspondence courses is to provide education facilities to all qualified and willing persons who are unable to join regular university and other courses due to various reasons. For them, there is an incessant search for an alternative system and that system is distance education.

4. To provide opportunities for academic pursuits to educated citizens willing to improve their standard of knowledge:

There are many learners, both young and adults, who cannot afford to join the face-to-face system of education due to personal and professional responsibilities. For such type of persons, some provisions have to be made through distance education. Hence, the objective is to provide opportunities to improve the standard of knowledge and learning through continuing education while in employment.

5. To provide education facilities to those individuals who look upon education as a life-long activity:

Distance education facilities are needed for those individuals who look upon education as a life-long activity or to acquire knowledge in a new area. Because life­long education is emphasized for all stages of life.

The NPE-1986 says, “Life-long education is a cherished goal of the educational process. This presupposes universal literacy. Opportunities will be provided to the youth, housewives, agricultural and industrial workers and professionals to continue the education of their choice, at the pace suited to them. The future thrust will be in the direction of open and distance learning. ”

few facts regarding distance education..... 

1.  India's first open university was established in 1982. which is ANDHRA PRADESH OPEN UNIVERSITY in Hyderabad. later in 1991, its name was changed as Dr.B.R.Ambedkar open university. its founder and first VC was Prof.G.Ram reddy. 
2. IGNOU was started as a national open university in 1985.  as per student enrolment number wise, it is the top university in India and also one of the top universities in the world also.