AIOU formulates policy providing financial aid during lockdown

Islamabad:Allama Iqbal Open University (AIOU) has formulated a policy for providing financial assistance to the deserving students on the basis of their attested documents during the lock-down period of COVID-19. The students who have applied for assistance in phase-2 of semester Spring 2020 would only be required to provide attested documents in support of their applications to their respective regions.

These documents will be verified by the Regional Assessment Committee (RAC) and as per the policy, approved by the Vice Chancellor Prof. Dr. Zia Ul-Qayyum, the students will be accommodated in the payable fee in the coming semester on the basis of the committee’s recommendation. According to Director Students Affairs, Rana Tariq Javed, the University’s Regions offices across the country will follow Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for meeting with the students to decide the merit of their applications.

The University in its recent annual budget has allocated Rs100 million for the grant of financial assistance to the deserving students, in line with its laid down policy.

In addition to this annual budgetary grant, the vice chancellor has also approved additional financial requirements submitted by the regions to ensure that the no needy person should be depriving of continuing his or her future study. The vice chancellor has announced that financial constrain should not be a hurdle for receiving education and ensuring a better future.

According to an estimate, recently there has been around 500 to 600 percent increase in the financial assistance, as compared to the previous years. The regions have been directed to call the meeting of Regional Assessment Committee members as early as possible.

However, it was decided that the students will not be called at the campuses for appearing before the RAC. The RAC after considering /examining the documents of the students will assess the eligibility of the students for grant of Financial Assistance as per SOP''s of the Financial Assistance schemes in which student has applied for.

The students who will be recommended by RAC for fee concession in any of the scheme will deposit their remaining fee through the prescribed challan form. The students then after depositing remaining fee will also sent copy of the challan form to Regional Office by post. The list of students recommended by the concerned Regional Assessment Committee will be given provisional admission on the basis of scrutiny and examination of all the documents sent by all RDs.