02 January 2005	Sunday	20 Ziqa'ad 1425

PESHAWAR, Jan 1: NWFP Governor Syed Iftikhar Hussain Shah has stressed the need of adopting more realistic approach in the provision of distance education , saying this system should also be extended to the neglected areas, including the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA).

Speaking at the inaugural ceremony of the newly constructed Regional Campus Building of Allama Iqbal Open University (AIOU) in Hayatabad, Peshawar, on Saturday, the NWFP governor said that a vast network of institutions in the higher education sector was being established in the province and Allama Iqbal Open University could help in the promotion of education through its distance education system.

He said the AIOU's new offshoots should significantly contribute to the promotion of knowledge.

He said that the AIOU should gradually develop its plan of action to gradually convert itself into a proper academic institution in the future. It should also concentrate on providing laboratory as well as other related instructional facilities for students, an official handout issued here on Saturday said.

The construction of permanent structure of the regional office of the university in Peshawar as well as its future plan to launch more regional offices in the province "depicts the AIOU's policy approach towards education development in the province".

There is also a dire need to further expand the network as well as volume of investment by the university for the purpose, he said.

Responding to a point raised by the university VC to help in the acquisition of land for the establishment of regional offices, especially one each in Chitral and Swat, the NWFP governor assured all possible help in this regard to materialize the plan.

Given the prevailing backwardness as well as deprivation in Fata, there was a need to take more concrete initiatives to promote education there. The role of AIOU in the promotion of education through distance learning system in Fata could not be overemphasized.

The ceremony was also addressed by Federal Minister for Education Javed Ashraf Qazi and Vice Chancellor of the University, Prof Dr Syed Altaf Hussain.

The education minister said that gradual progress was being made towards the development of education in the NWFP, especially in Fata, during the past few years.

He hoped that the NWFP government would provide cooperation and assistance to the AIOU to enable it to materialise its future development plans.

He stressed the need of focusing on quality in all respects and said more efforts were required for the promotion of knowledge, especially in the field of science and technology.

He said that laboratory and library facilities should be developed in accordance with the need of the hour to give more weight to its degrees. "There is also a dire need to introduce new disciplines by the university to make it more attractive for all concerned," the education minister said.

Prof Syed Altaf Hussain said that the AIOU was the pioneer institution of the country of its kind, providing distance educational facilities to the people.

The AIOU is recognized as one of the 16 out of top 80 institutions of its nature working all over the world. AT present, the AIOU's enrolment strength is more than 70,000 and 2,500 faculty members are engaged in imparting education to them. It has also registered almost 36,000 educationists as tutors to avail their services for the purpose.

With the establishment of purpose-built buildings at the regional level, the university would be in a more better position to promote knowledge of the required standard and quality.

Mian Hidayatullah Shah, the Regional Director of the university, said that the AIOU was engaged in providing educational facilities right from Matric to the Ph.D level.

The governor inaugurated the regional office. It's a 3-story spacious building completed at a cost of Rs19 million in twenty months. It accommodates offices, classrooms, library, halls and a big auditorium.