AIOU to work with education ministry in launching TeleSchool channel

Islamabad: Minister of Federal Education and Professional Training Shafqat Mahmood said the government welcomed the academic support being extended by Allama Iqbal Open University (AIOU) in launching TeleSchool channel, in wake of COVID-19 outbreak.

The AIOU will be a Knowledge-based platform providing education to the students, who were currently stuck-up at their homes, Shafqat said during a meeting attended by the Vice Chancellor Professor Dr. Zia-Ul-Qayyum and other officials.

The TV channel named ‘TeleSchool’ would work as an alternative to educational content delivery mechanism during closure of educational institutions during the epidemic. The minister said, since the AIOU had an academic, technical and professional expertise it could be a useful partner of this programme.

He hoped that the AIOU’s contribution in contents'' delivery would be useful in managing the channel, when schools and colleges were closed as precaution against COVID-19. The university would assist in production and editing of the contents to be delivered through PTV.

As was decided earlier, the PTV would provide eight-hour airtime to promote education through the channel. The dedicated channel would work for promotion of education for next three months. During the morning session, juniors would be given classes followed by seniors. The channel would likely start telecasting the content within next few days.

The Vice Chancellor, while assuring his support in making the program successful expressed his confidence that it would meet the students’ requirements during the lock-down period. He assured that the university’s resources including its TV studios and academic contents would be available to present the programme and thanked the minister for his acknowledgment and support in carrying out digital transformation and his other initiatives for the university’s overall development.

Parliamentary Secretary of Ministry of Federal Education and Professional Training Wajiha Akram, Federal Education Secretary Dr. Sajid Yoosufani and Technical Adviser Umbreen Arif of the Ministry recently visited the AIOU and discussed the plan.

Meanwhile, during the meeting, the minister also asked the AIOU to develop Accelerated Learning Programmes’ contents for Grade 1 to 8. The quality contents could be delivered with the support of NCHD or such other organizations. They were planning to establish a Distance Learning Wing in the Ministry of Education, especially for the Online learning and in this connection, he added, the AIOU could be a supporting partner.

During the meeting, the minister showed keen interest in AIOU programmes for Madrasa students Darse-e-Nizami Matric, Darse-e- Nizami FA and Darse-e-Nizami BA-Level programmes.