While I strongly advocate for a regular course owing to the benefits that it has , I will not undermine the importance of distance education. It has come like boon for people who can't afford a regular course due to various constraints and demands. Moreover, people also get a resume revamp by adding few of these degrees in addition to the experience. The attitude and thirst to learn is most important aspect of learning. The personal ingredient is what matters most. So a distance learner can add more value than a person who just did a regular course just for the sake of doing it.

While I strongly advocate for a regular course owing to the benefits that it has , I will not undermine the importance of distance education. It has come like boon for people who can't afford a regular course due to various constraints and demands. Moreover, people also get a resume revamp by adding few of these degrees in addition to the experience. The attitude and thirst to learn is most important aspect of learning. The personal ingredient is what matters most. So a distance learner can add more value than a person who just did a regular course just for the sake of doing it.

Arunima Singh wrote:

While I strongly advocate for a regular course owing to the benefits that it has , I will not undermine the importance of distance education. It has come like boon for people who can't afford a regular course due to various constraints and demands. Moreover, people also get a resume revamp by adding few of these degrees in addition to the experience. The attitude and thirst to learn is most important aspect of learning. The personal ingredient is what matters most. So a distance learner can add more value than a person who just did a regular course just for the sake of doing it.

It is not easy to do a correspondence course since you are on your own where preparing and understanding the subject is concerned. I did my Masters in Sociology after my first two children were born , through Bangalore university. I had to depend on notes provided by older students who had passed out and the university library. But with determination one can achieve anything..Infact I gathered so much information from the library that I probably would not have bothered had I been a regular student.

True!! Usha, with determination one can achieve anything. I always want to keep learning new things. But with kids and job and other commitments, there is no time left for regular classes. I rely a lot on Coursera, the online program. Distance learning definitely provides you with the option of learning at your own time and not get affected by a time bound routine which might not be suitable for many. However, you have to finish it up in a definite time frame.

I feel IGNOU has a good value from other distance learning institutes. IGNOU has a good reputation and whatever you achieve from there definitely you can get advantage in future.

With so many regular universities and institutes losing their deemed status, one can doubt them and their courses. At such times, distance courses from recognized institutes like IGNOU seems better choice. It is the quality of education that matters and also the hardwork of the learner

Distance education has the drawback that the learner does not attend regular classes. Thus there is no contact between the teacher and the taught. This reduces the value of the degree obtained through distance education. However as a supplementary course to further ones knowledge at any stage it offers wonderful opportunities. IGNOU courses are good and texts are also well written. They do provide some class room contacts at their various Centres around the country. 

If you attend some technical course like MCA then there are some regular classes but 3 days in a week. I did MCA from IGNOU and I attended lot of practical and theoretical classes. If people ready to come class then they arrange it on regular basis.

IGNOU is a very good Institute, it also has tie ups with ICAI for ICAI students. Even then I am not so sure of the placement & the opportunities for distance education students, I feel that there are less opportunities for distance students, isn't it?