Increasing literacy rate: Senate body for varsity in every district

ISLAMABAD:

The Senate Standing Committee on Federal Education and Professional Training urged the government to build a university in every district of the country to increase Pakistan’s literacy rate.

The parliamentary body’s meeting was held on Tuesday at the Allama Iqbal Open University (AIOU) under the chair of Senator Abdul Nabi Bangash

Bangash urged the minister of state for federal education and professional training to steer the education system with the Higher Education Commission (HEC), through proper monitoring and planning. The minister, Muhammad Balighur Rehman, Education Secretary Muhammad Ahsan Raja, senators and officials of the varsity attended the meeting.

AIOU Registrar Dr Nowshad Khan briefed the committee on the role, function, responsibilities, scope of work and future plans of the university. He told the committee that the university has decided to provide free education to the victims of the ongoing military operation.

We will provide free education to for the internally displaced persons (IDPs) from Matric to PhD level, said Khan.

He stated that the employees and officers had also contributed their day’s salary to the welfare fund of IDPs.  He further said they were making consistent efforts to provide the best possible services to their students, including scholarships.

The meeting was also attended by Senate Committee Secretary Malik Arshad Iqbal and AIOU Faculty of Social Sciences Dean Prof Rashid A Naeem, among others.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 20^th,2014.