AbstractThis study aims to explore the growth and development of distance education in Bangladesh. It tries to express the reasons behind the establishment of distance education system in Bangladesh. The intent of this study is to find out the initiatives and activities of different institutions that are involved in developing distance education in Bangladesh. The study found that the idea of distance education system in Bangladesh started in 1956 through the establishment of Audio Visual Cell (AVC). At present, Bangladesh Open University is the only public university that offers education for all through distance mode in Bangladesh.