The role of new communication technologies and distance education in responding to the global crisis in teacher supply and training: an analysis of the research and development experience

Introduction Who does not remember a good teacher? Even so, it can have many appearances. In fact, teachers can be inspiring, conscientious, caring, and often dedicated. A few are lucky enough to have all these characteristics and more. In all societies, the teacher is the figure who inspires myths, stories, memories. Strong emotions surround the teacher's role: trust, deference, love and sometimes fear. In rural communities, the village's primary teacher, along with a priest, a prefect, and an elder, traditionally provided a moral orientation that mediated between the newly emerged states and the communities they sought to hold together. However, at the beginning of the 21st century, these folk ideas about "the teacher" are called into question. In many parts of the world, the vocation of teaching presents the features of a crisis. Almost every country is struggling to hire enough teachers. In some regions (sub-Saharan Africa, for example), problems of recruitment, retention and teacher training are an acute problem. This article will examine how this crisis is taking place, and more particularly the organizational and logistical challenges associated with providing sufficient education and training to the millions of new teachers needed to expand education systems. Special attention will be given to the contexts of the developing world, where significant international efforts are being made to overcome what could be called the greatest educational challenge in the world. This article will also examine the research and development experience of a number of open and distance learning programs, with particular emphasis on the emerging role of new information and communication technologies, including "open educational resources" (Open Educational Resources ).