The article starts with a brief overview of educational needs in developing countries in the twenty-first century. Needs will be specified according to regional differences and educational levels. In a second part same basic characteristics of distance education systems are pointed out and an outline of the current state of development of such systems in industrialized countries and actual applications in developing countries is given. Also media used in communication and delivery will be described. Third same conditions for successful application of distance education will be elaborated in the light of past experience, Donor policies will be reviewed and their efficiency will be analyzed. In a final comment the contribution that distance education systems can make to satisfy educational needs in the twenty-first century is determined.
