World urged to work on education diplomacy

Islamabad:“The world should work on education diplomacy and should use science not as a means of destruction but as a tool for global peace and development,” said Chairman, Higher Education Commission of Pakistan, Prof. Dr. Mukhtar Ahmed while addressing the inaugural session of the 37th AAOU Annual Conference 2024 at Allama Iqbal Open University (AIOU) as a chief guest, says press release.

The three-day conference of Asian Association of Open Universities titled “Expanding horizons: Innovations in Open and Distance Learning” is being participated by delegates from 22 countries from different parts of the world. They will present 180 research papers during parallel sessions.

Dr. Mukhtar Ahmed stated on this occasion that after the COVID-19 pandemic, Pakistan like the rest of the world witnessed the rise of online education and continued academic activities though online system. He remarked that due to its inbuilt characteristics soon online and blended learning modes will become as essential mode of education. He also mentioned that HEC has introduced Open and Distance Education Policy in Pakistan to help other universities and HEIs offer Open Distance learning.

Prof. Dr. Nasir Mehmood, Vice-Chancellor Allama Iqbal Open University in his address highlighted the significance of Open Education System. He said that distance education is no more a second chance of education. He said that ODL is still going through its initial stage of adoption. He called upon the members of AAOU to take collective measures for tackling the challenges being faced by ODL system.

Dr. Nasir emphasised that digitalisation has expanded AIOU’s educational outreach to remote areas across the country and gained recognition internationally. He also shared that the university’s current student body exceeds 1.2 million, including international students from 35 countries. He mentioned that under this system, they are also providing education to prison inmates and the transgender community.

During the event, the official accreditation service of the Asian Association of Open Universities (AAOU) and the Asian MOOCs Book were also unveiled. Professor Dr. Ojat Darojat, President of the Asian Association of Open Universities and Rector of Indonesia’s Terbuka Open University, along with Professor Dr. Peter Scott, President of the Commonwealth of Learning, Canada, were the keynote speakers of the opening session. They highlighted the importance and necessity of the distance education system and the contributions of the Open Universities Association. They expressed support for collaborative efforts to promote education through the distance learning system.

Conference Coordinator, Prof. Dr. Zahid Majeed, elaborated on the objectives of the conference. He stated that 70 international and 200 Pakistani education experts from 22 countries are participating in the conference.