The Allama Iqbal Open University (AIOU) is going to conduct a nationwide research study on ‘Role of Open Distance Learning (ODL) in Women Empowerment in Pakistan: Perceptions of Postgraduate Female Students of Allama Iqbal Open University (AIOU)’ next week. The study is being carried out by Ms Nasim Khan Mahsud, M.Phil research scholar, who is working as a lecturer in the Department of Sociology, AIOU, Islamabad. Today improvement in the lives of women is being focused by international community and the Pakistan government. The study will examine the role of ODL in women empowerment in Pakistan as per perceptions of AIOU female postgraduate students. Education has been recognised as cornerstone for sustainable development. It is recognised that education plays a very important role in empowering individuals through providing them with the knowledge and skills required for successful existence as well as development in the society. The AIOU is an institution offering many academic programmes at different levels through ODL. In this connection, AIOU with its unique distance learning system plays an effective role in promoting women empowerment from centre to the far-flung areas of Pakistan. It is not only an institution which provides education to all to uplift their living standards, but it can also be considered as a means of promoting the empowerment of the most marginalised sections of the population, especially women. In the study, women empowerment will be assessed by its different dimensions, especially areas related to political, economic; social empowerment to family/interpersonal and individual level will be focused. The data shall be collected through detailed questionnaires from postgraduate female students all over Pakistan. In addition, it will also be tried to explore the problems and challenges faced by students of the university in different areas of Pakistan to suggest possible initiatives for improvement.
