This brief case study provides a pithy introduction to Uganda and outlines key factors that affect the implementation of distance education in the nation: poor infrastructure, the high cost of an education, an outdated curriculum, inadequate expertise in distance education, and poor attitudes towards distance learning. These factors are also evident in other African countries. Keywords: Distance education; Uganda About UgandaThe Republic of Uganda is a developing East African country with a population of 31 million people, 85% of whom live in rural areas (World Bank, 2009). It possesses the following characteristics, as reported by the World Bank and UNICEF in 2009:• a youthful population with children below 15 constituting more than half of the population;• a ranking of 157 out of 182 countries on the human development index;• a ranking of 91 out of 135 countries on the human poverty index;• a high mortality rate due to poor sanitary conditions and a lack of funding to improve health services;• a rate of 38% of the population living below the national poverty line; and • an adult literacy rate of 74% (86% for urban areas and 66% for rural areas).

This article is based on a study undertaken to examine the impact of introducing a realistic teacher education pedagogy (RTEP) oriented learning environment supported by ICT on distance teacher education in Uganda. It gives an overview of the quality, quantity and training of teachers in primary and secondary schools in the country after which it positions distance learning in teacher education. Using the evidence gathered, it suggests solutions to challenges facing distance teacher education in the country. It is argued that the solutions may be relevant to distance teacher education worldwide.