Islamabad: Allama Iqbal Open University (AIOU) has a set a record in the recent semester providing scholarships to its students under community-welfare scheme.
The number of beneficiaries under this scheme reached to 1,792 in semester, spring 2018, whereas in the corresponding period last year, the figure was 1,092. In autumn, 2017 the number of beneficiaries were 1,280.
According to the department of Students Advisory and Counselling services, the allocated amount for the community welfare-schemes was 4.5 million for the spring semester 2018. However, the University spent an additional amount of Rs6.4 million in order to accommodate all the applications received during the semester on the directives of the Vice Chancellor Prof. Dr. Shahid Siddiqui.
The categories of the students come under community’s welfare scheme include prisoners, disabled, orphans and transgender. The Vice Chancellor paid special attention in the recent years, providing free education to the marginalized sections of the people. The number of scholarships also went high in the recent semester, due to the University’s decision of providing freeMatric-level education to the students of Baluchistan and FATA.
During the semester, as many as 1,376 students of these regions applied for the fee-waiver to get them registered for Matric education. On the advice of the Vice Chancellor, all the applications to this effect were accepted. Both registration and Admission-fee was waived off on this account.
In all, the University offers nine scholarships schemes and special fee-waiver to facilitate the deserving students in carrying out their future education. This also includes special scholarship to internally displaced persons in FATA. The annual allocation of the funds for these schemes was Rs170 million. The break-down of the fund was Rs90 million and Rs80 for spring semester, 2018 and autumn 2017 respectively.
