This paper addresses the historical context, current development and future challenges of distance education in helping to create a knowledge-based society in Indonesia. The existing conditions of Indonesia relating to the geography, demography, socio-economy, and culture of its society, as well as the availability of technology have prompted the use of distance education as a realistic choice in providing access to quality education at different levels and in various kinds of educational endeavour. Distance education in Indonesia has been applied in diverse sectors of education and training. Its development has been challenged by advances in the use of information and communication technology, in a society in which computer literacy, access and skills still need to be improved significantly.
Distance education in Indonesia has to consider the use of appropriate technology accessible by distance learners who live in various parts of the country with different conditions and different access to technology. Distance education stakeholders are becoming more critical about the quality of services of distance education provision. Distance education in Indonesia needs to adapt to new challenges, changes in the society and new opportunities in the use of information and communication technology and learn from best practices of distance education in other contexts so that it can be used more and more efficiently and effectively
