Indonesia, Pakistan to collaborate for improving distant learning programmes

Islamabad: A delegation from the University of Terbuka, Indonesia's leading open university, visited Higher Education Commission (HEC) on Thursday to foster collaboration and discuss opportunities and key challenges in the realm of distant learning programmes.

Dr. Zia Ul-Qayyum, Executive Director HEC chaired the meeting. Led by its Rector Prof. Ojat Darojat, the University’s delegation included faculty members representing various departments and experts in distant learning programmes.

Dr. Muhammad Latif Gondal, Executive Director (Planning and Monitoring) Allama Iqbal Open University, Awais Ahmed, Adviser Quality Assurance HEC and other divisional heads attended the meeting. The University of Terbuka is Indonesia's prominent open university, providing accessible and flexible education through distance learning. Established in 1984, the University’s programmes cover a wide array of disciplines, offering degrees at various levels.

The meeting aimed at enhancing HEC’s efforts advancing quality of higher education, fostering international cooperation, and addressing the evolving challenges faced by institutions in the field of distance learning.

Dr. Zia Ul-Qayyum appreciated the University of Terbuka's credibility by achieving a remarkable rate of access to higher education through its distant learning programmes. He emphasised that by ensuring the quality of online education, particularly in terms of robust quality assurance measures, trust in the online mode of education can be developed and strengthened.

“The Government of Pakistan has been a staunch advocate of distance learning to improve access rates in the country. HEC is supporting Allama Iqbal Open University (AIOU) to increase the number of students, particularly in tertiary education, aligning with the government's vision for enhanced accessibility to higher education,” he said.