Bill Gates continues to support online education

Bill Gates continues to support online education

In an annual letter from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the Microsoft co-founder wrote that the 2009 recession was a "huge setback" for the U.S., but that he is optimistic that the nation will rebound from the economic collapse through continued advances in medical technologies and improvements in online education.

Gates, who is currently the chairman on his foundation, said that the future would look bleak without unrelenting scientific and technological innovations. He also expressed his belief that online learning will be one of the best ways for the nation to educate students on every level.

"In the U.S., advances in online learning and new ways to help teachers improve will make a great education more accessible than ever," said Gates, quoted by Top Tech News.

He added that online courses create self-motivated students and said that his foundation will continue to support innovation that will take online learning to the next level.

Today, nearly 4 million students are taking online courses and earning online college degrees. At the secondary school level, more than 700,000 high school students are taking one or more courses online and nearly 40 states have established state-led virtual schools.

By Mark Danson