Distance education requires careful and systematic planning because the learner studies independently without the continuous physical presence of a teacher. In such a situation, course planning must ensure that learning materials, activities, assessment and support services work together in a coordinated manner. The systems approach to course planning in distance education provides a scientific and organized method of designing courses so that all components of the teaching–learning process are integrated effectively. It treats the educational programme as a complete system consisting of interrelated parts such as objectives, content, instructional strategies, media, learner support and evaluation. Each component influences the others, and the success of the course depends on how well these components are designed and coordinated. The systems approach is based on the idea that education can be viewed as a system with inputs, processes and outputs. In distance education, the inputs include the learners, teachers, course planners, available resources, technology and institutional goals. The process includes course design, development of self-learning materials, tutoring, communication and assessment. The outputs are the learning outcomes, knowledge, skills and attitudes developed by the learners. Feedback from the outputs is used to improve the system continuously. Thus, the systems approach emphasizes planning, implementation, evaluation and revision in a cyclical manner. The first step in the systems approach to course planning is the identification of needs and objectives. Course planners must analyze the needs of the target learners and the purpose of the course. In distance education, learners often belong to diverse backgrounds in terms of age, experience, occupation and educational level. Therefore, the objectives of the course should be clearly defined so that the learning materials can be designed accordingly. Objectives describe what the learners should be able to do after completing the course. These objectives guide the selection of content, activities and assessment methods. Clear objectives also help learners understand the expectations and learning goals. The second step is the analysis of learners and learning context. In distance education, understanding the characteristics of learners is very important because the teacher and learner are separated by time and space. Course planners need to consider factors such as learners’ educational background, language ability, motivation, learning styles and access to learning resources. This analysis helps in designing self-learning print materials