Allama Iqbal Open University (AIOU) is the first Open University in Asia. AIOU is a unique institution in Pakistan because of its philosophy, system, approach, functions and overall structure. The University with its main campus at Islamabad and huge network of regional centers spread all over the country is serving its clientele all over Pakistan and in the Middle East. AIOU is a Distance Education institution, which provides multi disciplinary education from basic to doctoral level programs.
Brief History
The Allama Iqbal Open University was established in May, 1974, with the main objectives of providing educational opportunities to masses and to those who cannot leave their homes and jobs. In the last 34 years, the University has more than fulfilled this promise.
It has opened up educational opportunities for the working people and has provided access to the females on their door steps. It has also done pioneering work in the field of Mass Education. It is now breaking new grounds in the fields of professional, scientific, and technical education. It is attempting to reach out to the remotest areas of Pakistan. It is also attempting to harness modern information Technology for spreading education in Pakistan.
It has opened up educational opportunities for the working people and has provided access to the females on their door steps. It has also done pioneering work in the field of Mass Education. It is now breaking new grounds in the fields of professional, scientific, and technical education. It is attempting to reach out to the remotest areas of Pakistan. It is also attempting to harness modern information Technology for spreading education in Pakistan.
The idea of Distance Education was first mooted in UK in late 60s by the British Prime Minister, Mr. Harold Wilson. He was of the view, that educational opportunities must be provided to those who might have missed better education due to early employment and wish to upgrade, their knowledge and skills, in their spare times in the evenings at home. The UK Open University was, thus established in 1969. Since then it has become a major institution of learning in UK and has opened up opportunities for millions of working people. The gospel of distance and Open Learning has, since then spread throughout the world. More than sixty Open Universities are operating around the world on the basis of Distance Education. Modern information Technology has made the task of Distance Education much more easier and effective.
The AIOU, when established in 1974, was the second Open University in the world and first in Asia and Africa. It, thus, speaks of the foresight of the policy-makers of that time. As the last 34 years of AIOU have proved, Distance Education has opened up new opportunities for millions, particularly women, and supplemented the efforts of the federal and provincial governments in a big way and that too without becoming a burden on their resources.
The idea of Distance Education assumed greater relevance and acceptance in Pakistan due to the factors of poverty and relative deprivation of women. The rate of literacy, incidence of dropouts, and excess to higher education is much lower in the poorer classes of Pakistan. The incidence of poverty is much higher in the rural areas, where formal education is much less established. The rate of literacy and education is much lower for females in Pakistan, particularly in the rural areas, due to poverty and conservative traditions. Many conservative parents under the pressure of old age traditions do not allow their daughters to go out to the schools. The AIOU, through its system of Distance Education has, thus, provided educational opportunities to these housebound girls and women. This explains the reasons why the majority of the students enrolled with the University are females.
Latterly, the University is trying to fulfill another current need. Professional and technical education in Pakistan is becoming very costly, especially in recent years, because of government policy to encourage private sector in these fields. The lower middle class and poorer classes are being marginalized and their children have very little chance to get high education in fields like Business Administration, Computer Science, Medicine and Engineering. The AIOU is attempting to meet this challenge and to keep a window open for these classes by keeping the costs at the minimum and by creating a Student Assistance Fund.
Establishment
The Allama Iqbal Open University was established in May 1974 under Act No. XXXIX passed by the Parliament of Pakistan. It was initially named as the People’s Open University, renamed as Allama Iqbal Open University in 1977 at the eve of the first centenary of the national poet and philosopher, Allama Muhammad Iqbal. The idea of an "open university" was presented with the enunciation of broad principles in the Education Policy of 1972-80, in these words:
"Open Universities are being used in several countries to provide education and training to people who cannot leave their homes and jobs for full time studies. An open university will, therefore, be established to provide part-time educational facilities through correspondence courses, tutorials, seminars, workshops, laboratories, television and radio broadcasts and other mass communication media…."
"Open Universities are being used in several countries to provide education and training to people who cannot leave their homes and jobs for full time studies. An open university will, therefore, be established to provide part-time educational facilities through correspondence courses, tutorials, seminars, workshops, laboratories, television and radio broadcasts and other mass communication media…."
Objectives
The main objectives of the University as enunciated in the Act are as under:- To provide educational facilities to people who cannot leave their homes and jobs in such manner as it may determine.
- To provide such facilities to the masses for their educational uplift as it may determine.
- To provide facilities for the training of teachers in such manner as it may determine.
- To provide for instruction in such branches of learning technology or vocations as it may deem fit, and to make provision for research and for the advancement and dissemination of knowledge in such manner as it may determine.
- To hold examinations and to award and confer degrees, diplomas, certificates and other academic distinctions.
Administrative Structure
Academic Structure
Awards
Earned UNESCO NOMA award and Raja Roy Sing award for innovative strategies for imparting literacy to the rural masses
Organization
The President of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is the Chancellor of the Allama Iqbal Open University. The Federal Minister for Education is the Pro-Chancellor and the Vice-Chancellor of the University is its principal executive and academic officer. AIOU being an academic Institution, obviously has an academic structure at its core which consists of Faculties, Teaching Departments and Institutes. They are supported by administrative and servicing departments.
