AIOU announces free education to people of four categories

Islamabad: Allama Iqbal Open University (AIOU) has announced that it will provide enhanced educational facilities to marginalized sections of society free of cost.

These four sections of society including prisoners, visually impaired persons, drops-out girls and transgender community.

It has been decided that scope of education for these categories will be further increased in order to bring them into educational net and helping them to have a respectable life in the society. Besides this, the University also provides scholarships and fee-waiver to those students who are unable to continue their future study due to financial constraints.

Vice Chancellor Prof Dr Shahid Siddiqui hoped that the students come under these categories will take benefit from the facility, enrolling themselves with the University from the new academic year. The last date for admission to this effect is October 10 with a nominal late-fee.

Staying true to its mission of uplifting the quality of life of marginalised communities through education in Pakistan, the University has launched a programme to deliver free education to trans-genders across the country.

He hoped that it will considerably improve the living standard of the transgender community in Pakistan. This programme has been designed to improve the confidence of transgender and help them live with dignity as responsible citizens of society.

"We have received a positive response from the community and have already started receiving applications for the program," he added. The AIOU has been providing free education from matriculation to PhD level to the handicapped and visually impaired students along with jail inmates.

It is important to mention here that the students are also provided computerized facilities to aid their learning. Presently, there are 44 regional offices of the university in the country which are easily accessible to students from all parts of the country.

In addition, programmes in Chakwal, Nankana Sahib, Kharian and Thatta have been launched to educate girls who were pulled out of school for various reasons. "Under this programme, 400 girls in Thatta cleared grade-8 examinations and 377 among them proceeded on to take the matriculation exams.

The AIOU is only university in the country that provides free education to down-trodden people at their door-step. Recently, various steps have been taken to bring about qualitative improvement in the University's overall learning and teaching system, the VC added.