AIOU has more than 1000 international students from 36 Countries
An exclusive interview with Vice Chancellor of Allama Iqbal Open University (AIOU), Professor Dr. Nasir Mahmood
Ijaz Kakakhel
ISLAMABAD: The quality, performance and accessibility of Allama Iqbal Open University (AIOU) not only improved but also expanded to the remotest areas of country with special emphasis on educating marginalized areas.
In an exclusive interview with Pakistan Observer, Vice Chancellor of Allama Iqbal Open University (AIOU), Professor Dr. Nasir Mahmood said that the university was providing education to all irrespective of their age, gender or social status. He said, there no age bar on acquiring education from AIOU, adding free education was being provided to transgender community, jail inmates and children of martyrs while concession was also being provided to orphans and poor students. Currently, the university offers unique educational opportunities to a huge proportion of over one million students in a diverse and dynamic range of programs starting from Matric to PhD level.
The Vice Chancellor of AIOU has consistently excelled in the Times Higher Education Rankings. In 2023, AIOU was ranked No. 1 in Pakistan for Quality Education, a position it successfully maintained in the 2024 rankings. This year, AIOU also advanced to No. 7 globally out of 1,681 institutions. Furthermore, AIOU ranked No. 1 in Pakistan for SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth, placing within the 101-200 range out of 1,149 institutions worldwide. In the overall national ranking, AIOU secured the 3rd position among 89 institutions in Pakistan.
About quality of education at AIOU, the VC said it is a subjective subject and every one has own take. The university provide admission to any one who has 45 percent passing marks. The university is open for all those who wish to take admission and there is no restriction on numbers of students. He claimed that the AIOU is provide quality education if compared to other public and private universities. The AIOU books are best quality and others private and public universities were using these books. The university has best teachers who provide education online to their students. The AIOU students were available in every government and private departments and they performed very well. 40% graduates of AIOU are in teaching alone.
Answering a question, the VC claimed that there was no backlogs of degrees/certificates. Whenever a student complete their course, he/she wish to get the degree/certificate in next day. However, the VC clarified that there are 45 days’ duration required for issuing the degree/certificate.
The AIOU has more than 1000 international students in different courses including teaching, businesses, commerce, Information Technology and many more. These international students were belongs to 36 countries. Most of international students belong to Canada and they mostly are getting teacher education. African, Russian, Afghanistan, Egypt, Morocco students are mostly enrolled with AIOU.
About unique feature of the university, the VC said that in any age a person can get education from the AIOU in any subject. Mostly, those people get admission in AIOU who are already on job and they want to improve their qualification. Some business person also get admission because they could not take admission in formal university due to their engagement in business activities.
The security forces employees like ranger, police, army and also nurses in hospitals and teachers, they could not leave the job but can improve their skill through distance education at AIOU. The best infrastructure in distance learning are available only with AIOU and any one can get benefits from it. About financial constraints, the VC said the AIOU don’t have problems like other universities due to its best financial model.
The VC informed that the University Administration has taken various measures for improving education environment, some them are:
Solarization:
As the country is confronting some energy problems and decided to go for solarization. The solarization initiative at AIOU’s main campus and its regional 54 centers aims to harness renewable energy by installing solar panels. This effort is designed to reduce the university’s carbon footprint, lower energy costs, and promote sustainability across the institution.
Another initiative is water harvesting under which the rain water is stored and used for irrigation purposes within the university. The CDA is in proper collaboration under this initiative.
University has made proper arrangement for special person in class rooms, wash rooms, every where.
Digitization
Allama Iqbal Open University (AIOU) recognizes the vital importance of IT technologies in enhancing educational efficiency. To streamline its processes and improve service delivery, the university has undertaken significant digitization efforts across various functions. This initiative aims to modernize operations, making them more efficient and accessible for students, faculty, and staff, while positioning AIOU at the forefront of technological innovation in education.
All processes of the universality, from admission to awarding degree/certificates are digitized. The biggest online education system not only in Pakistan but in South Asian region is available with AIOU. We have own data center. The AIOU is providing online education to about 70000 students on daily bases, which begins from 6 am to 10 pm. There are more than 125 virtual class rooms across the country where students were given education.
The AIOU students were involved in getting education through Learning Management System (LMS). The record of all students from admission to graduation and awarding degrees were kept in Campus Management System (CMS). ERP is another tool which relates to finance of the university. The VC claimed that AIOU is working digitally under these three tools i.e. LMS, CMS and ERP. All admissions in the university was given online.
Examination system with overseas Pakistan was totally online. All books of AIOU are available online from matric to graduation level and any person can download it. Students of other universities are also getting benefits from the AIOU books.
Sustainability Exp
Sustainability Expo is annual function of the university in which students informed about proper usage of natural resources. Usually it carry out in the month of February every year. Several universities were take part in the Sustainability Expo. Kitchen Garden courses were thought to staff families, the VC maintained.
- Office Management System:
- Streamlines administrative processes by digitizing office workflows, enhancing efficiency and transparency within the organization.
AIOU Android Application:
The AIOU Android Application provides students and faculty with convenient access to university services, course materials, and academic resources directly from their mobile devices.
Commemorative Postage Stamp of AIOU
As part of the 50th-anniversary celebrations, Pakistan Post has issued a commemorative postage stamp in honor of Allama Iqbal Open University. This special stamp will serve as a lasting tribute to AIOU’s five decades of contributions to education in Pakistan. The commemorative stamp has feature the university’s newly designed 50th-anniversary logo, symbolizing AIOU’s legacy and its role in transforming the educational landscape of the country.
Decentralization of Exam Paper Marking:
The decentralization of exam paper marking improves efficiency and reduces turnaround time by distributing the evaluation process across multiple locations, ensuring a more streamlined and effective assessment system.
Digitization of Thesis:
The digitization of theses at AIOU converts printed academic research into digital formats, making it easier to access, search, and reference scholarly work from anywhere, while preserving valuable academic contributions for future generations.
Digitization of AIOU Library:
The digitization of the AIOU Library not only enhances access to a wide range of academic materials and research tools online but also ensures that students and faculty can conveniently access these resources through regional centers across the country
Digitization of paper Checking:
AIOU has digitized its paper checking process, which modernizes the evaluation of exams and assignments by allowing electronic submission, review, and record-keeping, thus improving accuracy and efficiency in grading
Digitize the process of creating question papers:
AIOU has initiated the digitization of the process for creating question papers, streamlining the development, distribution, and management of exam content to enhance efficiency and ensure consistency in assessments.
New Programs
To meet market demands, AIOU has introduced a range of new programs tailored to current industry needs. These programs are designed to equip students with relevant skills and knowledge, ensuring they are well-prepared for the evolving job market.
Introduced Middle Tech Programme under the Accelerated Learning Programme (ALP) in collaboration with JICA and the Ministry of Federal Education and Professional Training.
PhD in Agricultural Technology, M.Phil in Gender and Women Studies, PGD in Counter Violent Extremism and Terrorism, International Financial Reporting Standards (IFTSs), Medical Microbiology, Molecular Diagnostics, Climate Change and Sustainability, Public Health & Nutrition, Sustainable Environmental Design, Certificate courses in Arabic, Tajweed Ul Quran, and Criminology.
BS programs in Political Science, International Relations, Data Science, Artificial Intelligence, and Environmental Studies, a short IELTS course and a PGD in Clinical Nutrition. There are about 14 trade (courses) at main campus, where students were given proper skill. About 6000 students were enrolled in these courses and the planning is to increase the enrolment to 20000 in next few years. Mostly donors (UNSECO, Muslim Hands, JICA) were financially support students for these programs.
The matric education system of the AIOU is totally free for student of far-flung areas of Balochistan, merged districts, Gilgit Baltistan. The AIOU has Rs65 million budget for students support fund. All these tools are for welfare purposes. There are about 11 different schemes through which the AIOU is funding the deserving students. Some of these schemes are merit, need base and some for specific areas of the country.
The VC further said that the AIOU has completed 50 years, which was establish 1974 and several functions were arranged in this regard. Late Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto established the AIOU and he brought this idea from UK.
Pakistan is member of World Association of Distance learning universities and the name of AIOU was included in list of mega university, which has at least one million students enrolment. The enrolment of AIOU is about 1.2 million.
In Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) annual program, this year it select the AIOU and will renovate the university labs etc. Earlier, Norway support the AIOU in non-formal education. Qatar Foundation, with whom the university is working and also have Turkish Center, the government of Japan also support the university in a project related to information technology.
