ISLAMABAD: A representative of Commonwealth of Learning (COL) Prof. Mustafa Kamal visited Allama Iqbal Open University (AIOU) to monitor and verify the quality assurance system of the University. The visit was a follow-up process, undertaken in light of an MoU signed by AIOU and COL- Review and Improvement Model in 2013.
During his meeting with the Vice Chancellor Prof. Dr. Shahid Siddiqui, Mustafa Kamal appreciated the standard of the University’s academic programs and said it meets the international requirements.
The VC briefed about his new initiatives for bringing about qualitative improvement in the University’s overall system, particularly in the fields of research and professional development.
The COL’s previous verification of report indicated that AIOU has achieved the highest rating on quality assurance under the distance-learning system.
The AIOU during self-review process of its academic quality had made some commitments in six specific areas to achieve the desired results. The performance in all these areas had been excellent in the recent year, particularly in the case of students’ support system, staff’s capacity-building, delivery system and conducting applied research to address the contemporary socio-economic issues.
The COL is Canada-based an intergovernmental organization, founded at the 1987 Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting. It was mandated to promote and develop the use of open learning and distance education knowledge, resources and technologies throughout the Commonwealth’s 54 member states.
President COL, Prof. Asha Kanwar and COL-consultant, Prof Uma Coomaraswamy in their last visit to AIOU had lauded the AIOU’s contribution in establishing quality assurance system, which is considered as model for other Commonwealth’s States.
According to Dr. Nomana Anjum, chairman Home and Health Sciences Department who also looks after quality-assurance, the AIOU had made 21 recommendations by its own for further improvement of its overall quality work and out of these mostly have been implemented and now the University was in process of preparing short and long-term strategic plans to ensure quality education at all levels.
INP