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Education News / Students Organisation => Education News => Education News from Sindh => Topic started by: sb on December 04, 2019, 11:20:10 AM

Title: Allama Iqbal Open University is on way to digitalisation
Post by: sb on December 04, 2019, 11:20:10 AM
Allama Iqbal Open University is on way to digitalisation
Islamabad :04 December:Allama Iqbal Open University (AIOU) is on the super highway of digitalisation. Vice Chancellor Dr. Zia-ul-Qayyum efforts to digitalise the nations’ largest university in term of enrollment is big achievement, said Dr. Saqib Riaz, Chairman, Mass Communication Department of the AIOU.

Dr. Saqib Riaz while giving an interview to ‘The News’ said that digitalising such a big university was a huge challenge, but despite of hurdles VC Dr. Zia’s vision and dedication make it possible. He said that the digitalisation of AIOU will eventually benefit 1.4 million students of the University across the country. He told that AIOU is imparting education to the masses of Pakistan at a very low and affordable cost. The fee structure of this University is perhaps the lowest in the country keeping in view the financial limitations of the great majority of a country like Pakistan. Dr. Saqib told that AIOU is extending great service to the people of Pakistan through its network of 49 regional campuses spread all over the country.

Dr. Saqib told that Allama Iqbal Open University (AIOU) has launched four-year face-to-face BS programs in a number of disciplines, keeping in view the market needs and the growing demands of the students. The courses of the BS programmes have been developed according to the international standards. He said that the BS-level programs would provide students an opportunity to acquaint themselves with a creative, diverse, and challenging academic environment.

He said that the academic programs of the University have been designed to cater the educational needs of those who due to one or another reason could not continue their education in the formal universities but are highly motivated to enhance their qualification for elevation to their job.

He added that the Mass Communication Department of the University is among the torch-bearer departments of the university and its graduates are serving in almost every media organization of the country. This department offers a number of programmes from Bachelors to Masters, M.Phil and PhD programs. It receives a large number of admission forms every year but it grants admission to a limited number of students purely on merit basis. The department produced a great number of media graduates during the last two decades and these people are serving in different media organizations within the country and also abroad. Many officers of the military related organisations including ISPR have been graduated from this department and they are playing their role in the uplift of the society. A great number of teachers and faculty members of other public and private sector universities obtained their M.Phil or PhD degrees from this department. The books published by this department are used as course books in many other universities of the country. He added that the contribution of the Mass Communication Department of AIOU in strengthening media education in the country has been marvelous.

Dr Saqib said that the University has introduced new system in the selection of tutors. Now University is hiring new tutors though online system for its 1.4 million students across the country.

He said this is a major initiative taken by the Vice Chancellor Professor Dr. Zia-Ul-Qayyum, aimed at upgrading professional standard of teaching, so as to achieve the stipulated target of the quality education.

Dr Saqib Riaz, the University strictly adheres to prescribed merit-criteria as per the directives of the Vice Chancellor Professor Dr. Zia-Ul-Qayyum to ensure quality of education.

He told that Professor Dr. Zia-Ul-Qayyum, vice chancellor, Allama Iqbal Open University (AIOU) has been elected as First President of COMSTECH Inter-Islamic Network on Virtual Universities (CINVU) which is a great honor for the University.

The CINVU is a forum of 57 Islamic countries Open and Distance Learning or Virtual Learning Universities Network. It was established in 2011 as an autonomous, non-political, non-profit organisation with an international approach, working with the support of COMSTECH.

Dr Saqib told that there are standing instructions from the Vice Chancellor Professor Dr. Zia-Ul-Qayyum that no citizen of the country should be left without education owing to financial reason. He told that the number of beneficiaries having fee concession under the University’s scholarship schemes was 20,466 in the financial year of 2018-19, that is a record in the history of AIOU. In the corresponding period, the number of beneficiaries were 19, 226.

In order to accommodate maximum number of deserving students in each academic semester, the amount of fee-concession or fee-waiver was the more than allocated budget in the financial year 2018-19. There are ten scholarships schemes of the University, under which the deserving students take benefit to continue their future study.

Dr. Saqib said that AIOU is also providing education to the marginalized communities of the society to bring them in the national mainstream. For this purpose fee has been completely waived off for the transgender people and the prisoners all over the country so that these people can be useful citizens of the country. Fee concession is also given to the students of the marginalized geographic areas of Pakistan.The news.