Pakistan has won the award of hosting the 48-member countries Asian Association of Open universities (AAOU) annual conference 2013 to promote higher education in the region through open distance-learning system. “We won this event in an open competition with all other Asian open universities. Major contenders were China and India”, said Prof Dr Nazir Ahmed Sangi here on Wednesday.
Head of international Affairs Section, the Open University of Japan Ken Jin in his communication to the Vice Chancellor congratulated Pakistan for winning of the award to host this major mega event that will also lead to further strengthening regional cooperation to fight illiteracy and ensure equal quality education through distance-learning and e-learning system.
It will be 27th conference to be attended over 500 participants from member countries, besides senior educational experts and researchers from Pakistan. It will be participated by important countries including USA, UK, China, Malaysia, Japan, Australia and India. The conference to be organized by AIOU has already started necessary arrangements to make the event most productive and result-oriented to ensure equal quality education across the country, by benefiting from the experience and expertise of the regional countries.
Dr Nazir Ahmed Sangi said that the conference will be a big challenge for the AIOU and they will be doing with full potential and will. The AIOU, he added is enriched with educational experts, academicians, professionals and above all the student force to arrange such an event in befitting manner. “We will coordinate with the relevant departments and organizations both at the national and provincial levels to make it a success,” he added.
In the last 37 years since its inception, the AIOU expanded immensely and achieved members of milestones in distance education. “Now we are among the mega universities and providing quality education at the door steps of students through innovative teaching methodologies, interdisciplinary curriculum and world class technology, even at remote places like Umerkot (Sindh).
