PhD, MPhil programmes: Intizar’s life, work to be researched

Two MPhil students are already researching on his newspapers columns

ISLAMABAD: Allama Iqbal Open University has decided to initiate a PhD level research on the life and work of Intizar Husain in recognition of his contribution to Urdu literature.

Vice-Chancellor of the university Prof Dr Shahid Siddiqui announced this at a condolence reference held at the university on Wednesday.

He also announced that two scholars at MPhil level have already been engaged to do research on the writer’s columns to educate students about the academic knowledge of the men of letters who contributed to society and achieved distinction.

“It is the duty of educational institutions to remember those who delivered the best in their respective field,” he said.

Siddiqui noted that Husain was a great person and always had a smile on his face and to top it off was a great human being.

“He had his own unique way of writing which made him different from others,” he said adding that he had command over both English and Urdu. Husain was one of the greatest Urdu fiction writers, Siddiqui said, “His death has left a huge gap in the literary world of the Subcontinent that would be felt for centuries to come,” he said.

He further said that Husain will be remembered long for his literary work.

Postgrad diploma

The university has also started postgraduate diploma programmes in five disciplines, and an associate degree in commerce in eight disciplines.

The university will award postgraduate diploma in education planning and management, mass communication, teaching English as foreign language, computer science and early childhood education, stated a press release.

The disciplines offering associate degree in commerce are accounting and finance, banking and finance, hospital management, hotel management, human resource management, IT-management, marketing management; and tourism management

AIOU has set March 4 deadline for admission in these programmes. It has also set-up prospectus sale points at tehsil level across the country as well as special camps in regional campuses to facilitate prospective students.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 11^th, 2016.