Tele-education means a move away from the traditional role of the teacher as the knowledge giver and a greater reliance on secondary resources and materials. Examples were given of tele-education projects in all parts of the world, including India, the United States (West Virginia), the Mediterranean and Indonesia. The very geographical immensity of these regions means that tele-education methods are necessary.

Mr. Kiran Karnik, Rapporteur of the Round table, gave several examples of tele-education in India. He spoke of how farmers have been trained through the Satellite Instructional Television Experiment (SITE).

He also stressed the importance of tele-education for women and how Atele-education adds "knowledge to wisdom". He went on to say that the remoteness and poverty of certain regions in India means that tele-education is the only form of education available to many.

The limitations of tele-education were also pointed out. Some delegates felt that electronic teaching resources were no substitute for a good teacher and that an over-reliance on materials can actually hinder learning.

Another point, made by Dr. Ing. Aman Mostavan Dea of Indonesia, was that cultural and linguistic variety within a country means that standardized forms of communication have to be established. This can be achieved through networking by schools, colleges and universities using the Internet.

Dr. Ranganathan, Canada, outlined a tele-education course in space systems design which he said may serve as a prototype for a space university. He cited a number of positive features regarding tele-education. These include flexibility of access, a high quality of instructional materials and improved efficiency in delivery, including costs.

Dr. Jim Stevenson, U.K., suggested that tele-education is not very effective in actual classroom teaching. He emphasized however, tele-education's applicability to adults, especially in the area of teacher training.

UN Space Reports at SpaceDaily