Conference: AIOU formulating national distance-learning policy

ISLAMABAD: Open Distance Learning (ODL) could address the problems of illiteracy and providing education to all, academic experts agreed on Friday at an international conference.

The two-day conference, jointly organised by Higher Education Commission (HEC) and Allama Iqbal Open University (AIOU), aims to adopt a national policy on ODL to meet future needs, overcome illiteracy, and provide everyone with access to quality education.

Several national and foreign educationists are participating in the conference.

They will work on formulating draft-policy outlines and institutional bench-marks required for functioning ODL-based educational institutions in the country.

Recognising AIOU as a leading distance-learning institute, HEC Chairman Dr Mukhtar Ahmed said the varsity, with 1.3 million students across the country, could play a pivotal role in making the system more effective.

Dr Shahid Siddqui, vice-chancellor of AIOU, said ODL could cope with future educational challenges through smart use of technology.

He hoped that the participants of the seminar would address issues of quality, accreditation, and academic rankings of universities offering ODL programmes.

He said the seminar would provide a mechanism for collaborative partnerships among relevant institutions and would help prepare a long-term strategic plan to expand educational network.

Commonwealth of Learning (COL) President Prof Asha S Kanwar spoke about ODL in international terms, saying that COL member countries could collaborate in education to learn from each other.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 14^th, 2016.