Allama Iqbal Open University (AIOU) will promote research work at higher educational level that helps to solve the community-based problems and the national issues, like energy crisis, illiteracy and unemployment. It will extensively work enhancing capacity-building of its researchers and the students, so that they could produce high-profile research papers for benefit of the society.
This was stated by vice-chancellor of AIOU Prof Dr Nazir Ahmed Sangi while addressing the 25th session of the Board of Advanced Studies and Research (BASR). He said the students of the universities while doing research work must concentrate on the socio-economic problems, faced by the country. They should be a helping hand to the government and other relevant institutions to solve the issues of the national importance.
There is also need of bringing about necessary amendments in the on-going research methods that could meet contemporary needs. “We must promote productive and creative research works at the universities’ level so that it could be beneficial for formulating policies of public importance “, he asserted.
He said the students should work hard to raise the standard of their research journals to enhance their utility and application at the community-level.
Prof Nazir Sangi further said that AIOU will facilitate its students undertaking the research work extensively. Information Desk will be set up at its campuses to provide the additional infrastructural support to the students. This will also be done through by e-learning support to the students. The Information Desk will provide easy access to required data in different disciplines. The research-relating matters will improve the comprehension and know-how of the students to show excellence in their exams and practical life.
He also underlined the need of developing linkages among various universities and research organizations for enhancing standard of the research work.
The vice chancellor also announced that AIOU will host Asian Association Open Universities’ conference next year. Necessary preparation for this purpose has already been started, he added.
More than 60 research papers/proposals of M Phil and PhD level offered by AIOU’s faculties were presented at Board’s meeting for consideration. Majority of them were approved after necessary changes. A list of supervisors/experts was also presented by different departments for approval of the board.
The Board’s meeting was attended, among others by deans for the four faculties- Education, Social Sciences, Basic Sciences, and Arabic and Islamic studies, besides AIOU Registrar Agha Hafizullah and Director BASR Directorate Dr Hamid Khan Niazi.
AIOU’ Muzaffarabad campus starts functioning: The regional campus of Allama Iqbal Open University (AIOU) in Muzaffarabad, which will facilitate more than 25,000 students of the area, formally started functioning in its new building on Wednesday.
The building costing about Rs 50 million is equipped with the latest facilities and was inaugurated by AIOU Vice Chancellor Prof Dr Nazir Ahmed Sangi.
Inaugurating the new campus building, the Vice-Chancellor said that it has been set up to ensure equal quality education for all in all parts of the country.
The new campuses and study centers were set up at the provincial and district levels to provide educational facilities to the students at their door-steps, he added. Access of quality education for the students has been the top priority of the university. Efforts have been made for the availability of the basic infrastructural support as well as e-learning system in every nook and corner of the country, specially in the backward and neglected regions, he said. The AIOU has made a remarkable progress in the last two years in enhancing its educational network with maximum students’ supporting facilities.
The students’ enrolment has now reached to 1.3 millions and these numbers are getting increased in each semester of various AIOU’ programmes.
