Chinese media team visits AIOU

Islamabad
A five-member Chinese media delegation here on Monday visited the Allama Iqbal Open University (AIOU) and held talks with Vice Chancellor Prof. Dr. Shahid Siddiqui to find out the opportunities of bilateral cooperation in mass communication sector.
The delegation led by Prof. Yu Ji Xin of School of Journalism and Communication China’s Jinan University appreciated the AIOU’s rich potential in the academic sector. He expressed his desire to start cooperation at the level of two universities strengthening their mass communication department.
The two sides, he said could exchange visit of their faculty members and relevant programmes to take benefit of each other experience and expertise.
Dr. Shahid Siddiqui thanked the offer of cooperation from the Chinese side, stating the AIOU will welcome Chinese support for introduction of Chinese language and journalism teaching, particularly through online courses.
The AIOU, he added, is also prepared to set up a Centre of Chinese language at its main campus. He lauded Chinese support in the education sector, awarding thousands of scholarships to the Pakistani students.
The delegation was briefed by Prof. Saqib Riaz about the university’s overall achievements and the working of the Department of Mass Communication. Since its establishment in 1987, he said, the department made tremendous contribution in media-teaching sector. It supported media industry of Pakistan by providing professionally educated and skilled human resources. President Pakistan-China media association Makhdoom Babar also accompanied the delegation.
Meanwhile, AIOU held a seminar on ‘Collection of reliable data for preparation of a workable comprehensive education policy’.
AIOU VC while speaking on the occasion said the academicians and researchers need to play their role for data collection in scientific and systematic way.
A survey on status of education in Pakistan was also launched in the seminar. The survey was conducted by a private Lahore-based NGo ASER-Pakistan.
While presenting the salient features of the survey, ASER’s representative Dr. Huma Zia said it is based on correct data, collected from the gross-roots level. Survey, she said, provides a true picture having correct and valid figures to policy-makers for achieving desired results in the education sector.