By Staff Reporter
ISLAMABAD: President Dr. Arif Alvi has called for further enhancing the quality and outreach of Open Distance Learning (ODL) Programmes of the Allama Iqbal Open University (AIOU), Islamabad, and using blended learning tools to increase the enrolment of students in different academic disciplines. He said that educating and imparting skills to students according to the market dynamics would help ensure their early employment besides helping in their career progression.
The President voiced these opinions today at an Aiwan-e-Sadr follow-up briefing on AIOU, Islamabad. The conference was attended by the VC AIOU, Dean AIOU, Prof. Dr. Nasir Mahmood, Prof. Dr. Zia ul Qayyum, senior AIOU officials, HEC representatives, and the Ministry of Federal Education and Professional Training. The President addressed the group and underlined the importance of funding formal and informal learning environments (ODLs), which were the most crucial platforms for educating the general public.
After consultation with the pertinent parties from the public and commercial sectors, he stated, ODL and hybrid forms of education could be expanded to the Primary and Middle school levels. This, he claimed, would aid in educating the Out-of-School-Children (OOSC), who for various reasons including financial could not attend regular schools. Although Pakistan had assisted Malaysia in establishing its higher education institutions, he claimed that Malaysia was far ahead of Pakistan in all areas of education due to considerable investment in the field.
The President suggested during the meeting that “Pesh Imams” be trained as instructors to provide free education to OOSC of the underserved areas and that the mosques, which are typically empty from Fajr to Zohr, be used as classrooms. He also urged the Ministry of Education and Professional Training to take the lead in bringing together all relevant parties from the public and private sectors to develop a vision and a plan for extending educational services to the nation’s previously underserved regions by combining their resources.
The President commended AIOU’s efforts in delivering high-quality instruction to students who could not afford full-time or pricey private schooling. In order to advertise its products not only in Pakistan but also to the rest of the world, he further encouraged the University to create its own marketing and public relations department under the direction of a trained professional. In order to make the most of this crucial educational resource, which offered over 1000 ready-made courses in a variety of disciplines, he also emphasised the need to increase marketing efforts and highlight the 24,000 licences made available under the Digital Learning and Skills Enrich Initiatives of HEC and COURSERA.
The President said that Pakistan was willing to extend ODL and virtual education facilities to the people of Afghanistan through AIOU and the Virtual University of Pakistan (VUP) whose education materials could be utilized by Afghan students, both male and female, through its television network and online means, wherever available. VC AIOU, Professor Dr. Zia-ul-Qayyum, briefed the President that as per President’s directions during the previous meetings, AIOU was planning to launch a Life Long Learning Centre besides working on designing Pakistan EdTech, establishing collaboration with the Universities of Turkiye and Leicester University, and establishing a Centre of Excellence in Open Distance Learning.
He also mentioned that, according to an AIOU poll, nearly 70% of students enrolled in post-graduate programmes were already employed and were only attending school to further their education. He said that according to the poll, 40.4% of undergraduate students were able to find part-time work because of improved qualifications.
