By Hamid Khan Wazir
ISLAMABAD: Allama Iqbal Open University (AIOU) has offered free education to transgender, the most neglected and marginalized segment of our society.
Vice Chancellor AIOU, Professor Dr. Zia Ul-Qayyum has directed all administrative, servicing, and academic departments of the university to work for the provision of free education to those who cannot afford education due to some financial, social, cultural or even physical constraints.
According to the detail, the AIOU offered free education to the marginalized and disadvantaged sections of the society, especially transgender, disables, and prisoners.
Director Students Affairs, Rana Tariq Javed informed that AIOU Vice Chancellor was determined to eliminate all obstacles in the process of getting an education.
He further added that according to the Vice Chancellor’s instructions, nobody would be deprived of the basic right to education because of either poverty or disability, therefore, AIOU would provide free of cost but quality education at the doorsteps of such segments of the society.
AIOU was a national institution and striving hard to realize the dream of Education for All, he added.
Rana Tariq said the university had advertised admissions for Autumn 2020 Semester and transgender, prisoners or individuals with a disability might apply for the advertised programs, however, all such interested candidates would submit admission forms in their respective regional offices.
He informed the university did not demand even registration fee from the blind people.
AIOU not only granted fee concession but also offered scholarships to its students, he added.
It is to mention here that the AIOU has offered admission to Matric (general), Matric (Dars-e-Nizami), FA (general), FA (Dars-e-Nizami), and I Com.
Overseas Pakistani who are living in Saudi Arabia, UAE, Qatar, Bahrain, Oman, Kuwait, and America can also take admission in these programmes.
They can download admission from the university’s website.