1. ODL in Africa The history of ODL in Africa can not be complete without a special mention about how it came about in other parts of the world.The system started in response to the rising demand of higher education in the developed countries after the 1st world war. In Africa for example the system started in the mid 1980s in order to widen access to higher education to the teeming disadvantaged population that dwells in the rural areas.Unfortunately though the system seems to enjoy low prestige among elites especially from those who strongly advocate conventional system. ODL is generally seen as a second rate form of education that is taken after missing out the prefered choice. The Challenges of ODL in Nigeria