President appoints AIOU, QAU, IIU heads

Prof Dr Shahid Siddiqui appointed as AIOU VC, Prof Javed Ashraf as QAU VC, Prof Dr Masoom Yasinzai as IIU rector

President Mamnoon Hussain, on the advice of the prime minister, has appointed eminent scholar and educationist Prof Dr Shahid Siddiqui as Allama Iqbal Open University (AIOU) Vice Chancellor.

Moreover, Prof Javed Ashraf has been appointed Quaid-i-Azam University (QAU) Vice Chancellor while Prof Dr Masoom Yasinzai has been named International Islamic University (IIU) Rector.

The appointments have been made on advice of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, summary of the notification said.

According to the documents available with Pakistan Today, Dr Siddiqui is a renowned educationist and linguist who has been involved with Pakistani system of e4ducation as a teacher, teacher educator, researcher, academic leader, and a prolific writer for the last three decades. He obtained his PhD in English from University of Toronto, Canada, MEd TESOL from University of Manchester, UK, and MA English Language and Literature from Gordon College.

Dr Siddiqui worked in prestigious universities such as the Aga Khan University (AKU), Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS), GIK Institute of Engineering Sciences and Technology (GIKI) and Lahore School of Economics (LSE) on academic and administrative positions. He was also associated with AIOU for 13 years that enabled him to fully acquaint himself with the philosophy, structure, product, clientele, and dynamics of distance education.

Dr Siddiqui has a strong track record of research publications and has published extensively in national and international journals. His published books include, Rethinking Educational in Pakistan: Perceptions, Practices, and Possibilities (2007,2010); Adhe Adhoore Khawab- An Urdu Novel (2010),  Education, Inequalities, and Freedom: A Sociopolitical Critique (2012), and Language, Gender, and Power: Politics of Representation and Hegemony in South, published by OUP in October, 2013.

Dr Siddiqui’s forthcoming book, Education Policies of Pakistan: Politics, Projections, and Practices is being published by Oxford University Press. He has also presented in national and international conferences in diverse contexts, including United States of America, United Kingdom, Saudi Arabia, Canada, South Africa, Thailand, Bahrain, United Arab Emirates, Sri Lanka, Malaysia, China, and Nepal.

Dr Siddiqui won a number of meritorious awards, including British Council award (Manchester), US Embassy scholarship (Vermont), Canadian Commonwealth award (Toronto), Charles Wallace award (Oxford), Social Sciences Research Council award (Sri Lanka, India), and MTCP award (Malaysia). Dr Siddiqui is a member of HEC Committee for Development of Social Sciences and Humanities in Pakistan and acts as a regular resource person on FDP programme of HEC.