Importance Of Distance Education

Distance education is the most preferred medium of education today. This is because many working professionals and students either do not have time to go to a traditional college or University and attend the classes or do not have enough money to spend on a course. The growing popularity of distance education has brought many changes in it. There has been a lot of development in the way of its presentation and its access.

Many people who have landed up in working with different organizations without higher qualifications opt to enroll in an online program and earn a degree like an online MBA to grow their career. Most of the multinational companies encourage their employees to join and earn degrees for their career growth. This would in turn bring profits to the companies. Programs like 'Study and Work', 'Earn while you Learn' are offered by these companies.

The distance learning programs are no more the way it used to be in the past. Course materials were sent by post or by courier but now, these materials are sent online to a candidate's mail box directly. These course materials may be Microsoft word documents, power point presentations or PDF files. Moreover, in such online learning there are many benefits that a student can avail. There is a great flexibility of time and place. A student can access the course online from any place and at any time. Online classes are also given, that is virtual classes are arranged where in a student is provided with a user name and password. Using this username and password, a student can log into the website of the University or institution that offers such distance education.

The Universities that offer such distance education take care in resolving the queries of the candidates. They also intimate about the timings of the virtual classes which are usually in the mornings or evenings. This is because working professionals can attend these classes. However, there are some basic requirements that a student should have. He or she should have the basic computer knowledge, should have the necessary software installed in the computer to open the files sent by the Universities. And last but not the least, to access the audio and video access of online training, he or she should know the technical knowledge to plug in the necessary accessories like a head phone etc.

Distance education in this new face of enhanced technology has proved to be very helpful to all the candidates who find it difficult to travel long distance and attend classes in a traditional college. It has also been helpful to those who could not afford a lot of money in enrolling in a renowned business school. Online MBA has been in a boom in the recent times and many candidates from across the world are being benefitted with this form of learning.

The Importance of Education in Today's Society

So, do you believe that EDUCATION is absolutely necessary in today's society? Does being educated make a significant difference in someone's life?

Education is the process of learning and acquiring knowledge at school from a teacher, receiving knowledge at home from a parent, a family member, and even an acquaintance. Education is a key that allows people to move up in the world, seek better jobs, and succeed in life. Education is one factor that affects job positions people hold, advance in their further career, the income they make, and the title they hold. The more educated a person is, the more prestige and power that person holds.

However, unfortunately we have places in the world, where not everyone has an opportunity or chance to receive formal education. India is amongst the countries, where there is a high population of people who are illiterate. Almost, 55% of the population in India is illiterate. Partly, because most of the country resides in villages and not in cities, where education is more prevalent. Most of the people living in villages spend majority of their time in cultivating crops and harvesting their fields and don't find it necessary to be educated in order to harvest their fields or to do household chores. The girls living in villages marry at a young age and later get busy with family and doing household chores. According to Indian belief, girls commonly get married at an early age and are advised to stay home and take care of the household instead of studying or working. That's the reason why lot of parents in India are worried about getting their daughter married rather than her education. I can give you an example in my own life. When I was in India I wanted to get further education and fulfill my dream. On contrary to what society thinks, I wanted to pursue my career in the health care field to serve my own community. The support from my family, especially my grandfather, gave me the strength to keep my dream alive. I was 18 years old when we moved to the United States, and the transition to a country that is different culturally, academically, and politically was not easy. I did not know what I could do with my life when I came to the States. The transition was difficult for my parents as well. The need for finding a business, concern about my sibling's education and me and adjusting in a new environment was definitely challenging. After doing most of college in India, it was hard for me to start over my college education. My dad's brother, who is a physician, inspired me to keep my dream alive to pursue a career in medicine. I started my education at the community college, where I struggled with most of my classes in the first year as the educational system was different than the one I was used to. I joined clubs and other organizations at the college to know more about the medical careers. I got the knowledge that I required for pursuing a career in medicine but still, I had never experienced how things are in the real world of medicine. I have done everything that I could to help me fulfill my dream. I am currently an Emergency Medical Technician and I enjoy working in the allied health field.

I think being educated is the most important thing not only for success in one's life, but the better educated population plays an important role in making a nation more successful and well rounded. Receiving formal education is vital, but to achieve success in life, informal education is essential. One can learn English, History, Math, Science in school, and be "book-smart". Furthermore, one can learn how to live life by knowing what to say when, acting a certain way in specific situation, and be "street-smart". You can have all the "book" knowledge in the world about a certain profession, but if you don't know how to behave with your colleagues and your superiors than having "book" knowledge won't take you too far. For example, if you are a Physician by profession, you have all the knowledge about the world of medicine and know much about health care, but if you do not have bed side manners and don't interact well with your patients, co-workers, and the team, than what's the point of having all "book" knowledge. To achieve success in life and reaching a point in life where people respect you for what you are is what makes a difference, because at that point you excel in both formal and informal education. Education is very important and no one should be deprived of it.

"No nation can leave its security only to the Police and the Army, to a large extent national security depends upon the education of citizens, their knowledge of affairs, their characters and sense of discipline and their ability to participate effectively in security measure." - Kothari commission

A well educated population represents a well secured, well developed, strong Nation.

Charmi Patel is a home business author, student, and an EMT.

She thinks that education is a vital element in making one's life successful. She wants to share with everyone how important education is in today's society and that no one should be deprived of education. A more educated population plays a vital tole in success of the nation.