Allama Iqbal Open University has recently emerged as country’s top level institution providing education to female section of the society particularly those living in less developed regions.
By virtue of the students’ enrolment, the university has turned into a women university, said the AIOU Vice Chancellor Prof Dr Nazir Ahmed Sangi while addressing a function held at the university’s main campus on the occasion of International Women Day.
Referring to a report of Commonwealth of Learning, he said AIOU has been declared the best institution, providing quality education to all section of the people particularly women.
The university annual enrolment has reached to 1.4 million and among these about 58 percent are the females. Moreover, the University is providing vocational and skilled based education to women, enabling them to seek their employment and take part to social development of the country, the vice chancellor added.
Dr Sangi further said recently the university has launched Open Schooling System to educate drop-out students. The major beneficiary of the scheme will be those women who cannot attend the formal education system due to social and financial constraints.
The Project of Open Schooling System aimed at empowering the female section of the society so that they could earn their livelihood.
AIOU provides equal access to quality education, “We wish to be a helping hand to the government for preparing women to take part in the national development without any discrimination,” the vice chancellor added.
The women day function was arranged by the Department of Women Studies, AIOU in collaboration with Women Action Forum Pakistan. Those spoke on the occasion included Chairperson, Women Action Forum Pakistan, Nasreen Azhar, and women activists including Khalida Babri, Meemona Rauf, Mussarat Qadeem and Arifa Mazhar.
Faculty and staff members of AIOU, Arifa Salman, Dr Tanveer-uz-Zaman, Sadaf Raza, Shahab-ud-Din Shahab, Dr Samina Awan and Muhammad Qasim Haider also spoke on the occasion. They highlighted importance of women education and appreciated the AIOU initiatives in this connection.
