Implementing Open Distance and E-Learning in Teacher Training Institutions in Eswatini

Technological advancement and the advent of the internet led higher education institutions to transform from open and distance learning to open distance and e-learning. The University of South Africa was the first university in Africa to offer distance education since 1946. Its success inspired other African countries such as Zimbabwe and Botswana that established open and distance learning universities. In Eswatini, the Ministry of Education and Training enacted an education policy that calls for the introduction of open and distance learning in all existing and new institutions of higher learning. The policy did not give guidelines on the ways in which institutions were to implement open and distance learning. In the interim Eswatini does not have a fully fledged open and distance learning university. We conducted the study to explore the ways in which teacher training institutions in Eswatini implemented open distance and e-learning under the prevailing circumstances. The findings revealed that the introduction and implementation of open distance and e-learning in teacher training institutions were reactive measures to mitigate the Covid-19 lockdown and restricted movements. We recommended that institutions use blended learning while building capacity to gradually introduce open distance and e-learning and train their students and staff on e-learning knowledge and skills. We also recommended that the Ministry of Education and Training enact a policy with guidelines and a framework for implementing open distance and e-learning, and that the government build an open and distance learning university to align with other countries.