Distance education is a systematically organized form of self-study that uses media to enable learning over long distances without direct supervision. It aims to provide educational opportunities for those who had to discontinue formal education due to various circumstances and to make higher education accessible to more sections of society in a flexible, less expensive system. Distance education has merits such as catering to in-service professionals and others unable to attend traditional schools, allowing self-paced learning, and not being limited by time and place restrictions. However, it also has limitations like reduced opportunities for practical experience, social learning, and extracurricular activities compared to formal education.