Islamabad: A delegation of European Union, under its Development Adviser, Michele Rizzi, visited Allama Iqbal Open University (AIOU), here on Tuesday. The delegation, also met the University’s Vice Chancellor, Prof. Dr Shahid Siddiqui, assuring him that they would look into possibilities of developing linkages between AIOU and the European Union’s Universities.
Zahid Majeed, Incharge International Collaboration Exchange Office at AIO, briefed the on the University’s overall working. Rizzi later briefed the University’s academic staff and students in a seminar, held here, about the scholarship opportunities being offered by the European Union to Pakistani students. He said that it was a part of their on-going efforts to further develop a socio-economic partnership with Pakistan at the educational level.
VC Siddiqui also guided the delegation on the University’s academic activities, with a particular regard to the students’ support system and the main educational features of open distance learning, being carried out successfully for the last four decades. He said that the two sides could cooperate in offering scholarships to their students and academia as well as undertaking joint research-based projects. He also apprised the delegation of the collaborative partnership that the University had recently developed with sources like the Commonwealth of Learning, British Council as well the Netherlands Open University.
The delegation was also told that AIOU, at present, was also encouraging its faculty members to participate in seminars and training workshops abroad in order to develop their educational expertise and skills. “The AIOU was being developed as (a) learning organisation (which) regularly (organised) professional development activities for updating (its) staff with the latest knowledge and teaching techniques in different disciplines,” he added.
