Miracles of Allama Iqbal Open University?

Allama Iqbal Open University (AIOU) had been established in May, 1974 with broad parameters of promoting education among the masses indoor at its Islamabad Campus and with specific objective of distance education programme at the undergraduate, graduate and master levels in the nook and corner of the country at national level. The underlying objective of distance education study programmes was to facilitate the in-service government employees and of private sector from poor families to get higher education and find jobs of their choice to build their future careers.

The salient and worth appreciation feature of the distance education programme was the offering of courses of intermediate, bachelor, master, M.Phil, PhD, last but not the least study programmes of professional degrees of Bachelor of Education and Master of Education. But of late AIOU management at the main Islamabad Campus frequently and dismally fails to perform its mandatory function of promoting education efficiently and cost effective as most of the candidates belong to poor families.

After manifold increase in the number of students who enroll in distant education programme, AIOU had opened 40 Regional Offices in different cities of the country. But ironically, no powers worth the name about the registration of students and subsequent confirmation of admission have been delegated to these offices. The regional offices are functioning like mere sub-post offices and are virtually redundant, having no say whatsoever in giving information to the visiting candidates about the confirmation of their admission in courses of study and the related administrative measures.

The performance of Regional office in the Khyber Pukhtunkhwa Capital City of Peshawar is very dismal and pathetic. The attitude of officers and staff toward the students and general public is not only obvious but also insulting. After applying delaying tactics for months they finally tell student their helplessness in the confirmation of admission and Roll Number allotment at a time when few days are left before the submission of assignments and attending compulsory workshops. They openly complain that decision about every small and big matter is centralized and is decided by Islamabad campus. Then what is the rationale of opening 40 Regional offices? In the current semester workshop of B.Ed course is starting from August 5, but large number of students are waiting for the confirmation of admission and allotment of Roll Numbers.

The administration which is responsible for academic affairs at main campus of Islamabad is demonstrating the arrogance and vanity of Egyptian Pharaohs of ancient ages. The concerned officials do not pick the landline Telephone call on the designated numbers, notwithstanding frequent attempts during the working hours from morning to afternoon to respond and resolve the issues confronting the students, and even the Universal Access Numbers is not attended.

Another major impediment is the abnormal delay in the award of degrees after the successful completion of study programmes and declaring of results. The verification process of degrees is extremely sickening and persecuting for the passed out candidates. The admission fees have been raised abnormally but degrees are awarded one year late after the course completion. Is it not a deliberate discouraging attitude to scare away the talented student from the pursuit of knowledge? The sky-high semester fee is no longer affordable for students belonging to the middle income group. In 2018 the semester fee for B.ED programmewas Rs.12000 which has been jacked up to Rs. 19035 this year. How can the newly recruited PST, CT and SST school teachers through NTS can afford to pay such a hefty amount of fee out of their meager salaries. AIOU is a public sector university of the federal government which had been established for acquisition of contemporary knowledge and it should not be run like a private corporate enterprise in brute capitalist economic system. Upward revision of admission fee for one semester by Rs.7035 is tantamount to sheer manipulative business activity instead of promoting education. Prime Minister Imran Khan is a great proponent of knowledge economy and it is time that he looks into the affairs of AIOU which hinder the yearning for knowledge by the talented youth.

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