The Directorate of Distance Education in Lalit Narayan Mithila University was established in the year 1998 vide University letter no. P/D 54-139/98 dated 7/2/1998. Dr. Harendra Singh, then Controller of examinations, L.N.M.U Darbhanga was the first Director in-charge of the Directorate of Distance Education. The task assigned to him was to formulate and prepare the proposal for starting Distance Education from session 1998-99, in consultation with the Advisory Committee which was duly constituted by the University. However, the Directorate became functional and operative in 2005 with launching of B.Ed. Programme in collaboration with IGNOU when Professor A. N. Kargupta was Director. The Directorate is now offering 21 programmes/courses through the distance mode. Since inception, it has been taking various initiatives to spread among masses the mode and facilities of distance education so as to reach the unreached, unprivileged and the marginalized section of people in remote pockets of areas under the University jurisdiction. At present nearly 65000 students of higher education are enrolled in the ODL system of DDE. The flexibility in the system, no discrimination of caste, sex and age, supply of study materials at the door steps are the beauty of this mode of education.