Distance and Open Learning has been practised by more than 1300 institutions in 130 countries offering 70,000 odd courses to nearly 90 million students. Though the potential of distance and open learning offers the possibilities to institutions in the developing world to bring in educational reforms, the practising of it is checkmated by various factors and the cultural environment which still encourages teaching rather than self-learning. The implications of all these are discussed in the book by Prof. Ramanujam, the authority on the subject.