ALLAMA IQBAL OPEN UNIVERSITY, ISLAMABAD

INTRODUCTION

Allama Iqbal Open University, a Mega University, was established in 1974 under an Act of Parliment. The main campus of the university is situated in sector H-8, Islamabad. It was the second open university of the world and the first of its kind in Asia and Africa. The aim of establishing AIOU was to provide affordable and accessible education through distance learning at the door steps to those people who could not continue their education journey through formal system of education. The University (AIOU) operates on semester system and admits students in Autumn and Spring semesters. Under graduate admissions ae offered in both the semester where as post graduates are offered once a year. The enrolled students are given course books specially prepared by the university on self instructional principles. However at post graduate level reprints of foreign books allied with study guides help students to polish their skills.At present, the AIOU is offering programs from matric to Ph. D level in divers, disciplines included in the four faculties. The university has established study centres across the country, where distance education students are provided necessary guidance by their respective tutors. Moreover, the university has established full time study centres, wherein the students of MBA (IT), MBA ( bANKING AND Finance), BS (CS), B.Sc. (Engineering), etc. are being provided instruction, guidance and counselling through face to face education. AIOU is offering 4-year uder graduate degrees.Apart from curricular and extra curricular activities during the academic year, the AIOU and its regional centres actively participate in the co-curricular activities by arranging educational and literary seminars, workshops and conferences, attended not only by the students and faculties of the university but also by renowned dignitaries and scholars. For the science students and resea4ch scholars, a science complex has been built where they use the latest equipment of international standard (for experiments). To meet the present day challenges internet facility is also available in the students hostel and the Central Library where computers have been provided to enable to enable students to access latest information available through open source databases.