KHANEWAL
Allama Iqbal Open University Regional Director Ghulam Hussain Khosa said that about 69,000 students out of a total of 1.3 million AIOU students in Pakistan belong to Multan region.
He said the first distance university in South Asia catered to the educational needs of 1.3 million students at their doorsteps irrespective of distance and location of students. “One can become the student of the university at any age as we consider education a life-long and continuous process,” he told The Nation.
Khosa said that the regional office Multan is the AIOU’s hub in South Punjab. “We are running five regions of AIOU including Multan, Vehari, Rahim Yar Khan, DG Khan and Bahawalpur regions. To meet the requirements in the future, expansion of the Multan campus is in process at a cost of Rs110 million,” he said.
The three-storey building includes examination hall, lecture room, admin bloc and fully equipped video conference block. Its purpose is to produce audio-visual materials to promote and support the distance teaching based courses of the university. The materials produced include radio and television programmes which are transmitted on the national broadcasting networks, and non-broadcast media to be used for small group instruction and individual study.
“Student Support Service was recently established in Multan campus. It caters to adequate information about AIOU academic programmers, admission forms, programme announcements, complaints and inquiries during semesters while 32 staff members provide teaching services for students,” he said.
The varsity conducts online tutorship course. It takes serious action against corrupt staff on complaints and public feedback. Such elements have been removed from the important seats and kept under observation. In Khanewal, centre No 97 from Government MC Girls High School has been shifted to Government Postgraduate College of Women due to complaints by students against Headmistress Shahnaz Munir for mismanagement and misconduct with students and their parents. Arrangements at the new centre were excellent, he claimed.