‘Out-of-school children’ to be brought into educational net

Islamabad : Allama Iqbal Open University (AIOU) and an NGO ALIGHT here on Wednesday signed a Letter of Intent to bring out-of-school children in the educational net through cooperative partnership.

Under the bilateral arrangement, ALIGHT will set up two non-formal schools for juveniles and establish a virtual teacher training academy (VTTA) at the University’s institute of information and Communication Technology (ICT).

The letter of intent was inked by the University’s Registrar Dr. Muhammad Zaigham Qadeer and the country’s representative ALIGHT Pakistan Dr. Tariq Habib Cheema, in presence of the Vice Chancellor Professor Dr. Zia-Ul-Qayyum.

Through the VTTA, ALIGHT will streamline teachers' training for online and distance education and improve and increase pedagogical knowledge and management skills for educators.

The proposed academy will include tailor-made content for teachers, head teachers, field managers, middle managers, officers, master trainers, and other management and teaching staff.

AIOU will provide accreditation/certification to participants and free access to campuses across Pakistan to ALIGHT. The training courses will be available for both non-formal and formal streams.

Addressing the signing ceremony, Dr. Zia-Ul-Qayyum said the AIOU will join the nation in the task of community’s engagement and mobilization to promote the cause of education. They, he said, are ready to expand the University’s educational network to educate the illiterates.

He announced that they will introduce ‘AIOU Open School system’ to attend out of school children through their fifty one regional offices across the country, with the help of new technology. They will effectively undertake the mission of promoting skill-based literacy, so as enable the people to earn their livelihood.

Dr. Tariq Habib Cheema in his remarks on the occasion said, they consider the AIOU as their best partner to educate the youth. They, he added, will work as a bridge between the AIOU and the donor agencies to meet the educational needs of out-of-school children. He also highlighted the initiatives and steps taken by them for promoting education in the country, particularly for the youth.

The ceremony was also addressed by the University’s Dean of Education Dr. Nasir Mahmood and Director International exchange and collaboration office Dr. Zahid Majeed, who elaborated the AIOU’s consistent efforts for meeting the educational needs of the society and ensuring education to all.