PESHAWAR, May 31: Over 720 students were awarded degrees at the sixth convocation of Allama Iqbal Open University (NWFP chapter)  held here on Saturday at a local hotel while 12 students received gold medals for their outstanding performance in various subjects.

Vice Chancellor of the Allama Iqbal Open University (AIOU), Islamabad Dr Syed Altaf Hussain, who was the chief guest gave away degrees and gold medals to the students.

Students received their degrees from the chief guest in  MSc mass communication and master of business administration (MBA). Similarly degrees of post-graduate diploma in teaching English as foreign language were also awarded diplomas in tourist guide, BA mass communication, BBA and B Com.

Other degrees which were awarded to the students on the occasion were MSc physics, community health and nutrition, post-graduate diploma in computer science and nutrition, BCS, MA education planning and management, MEd, BEd.

The AIOU on the occasion of its sixth convocation also awarded gold medals to 12 students.

Later, the VC of the AlOU, Dr Syed Altaf Hussain, said that convocation was an identity of the university while it was an important event for the students. He said the AIOU was not only confined to Islamabad but its distance education system was spread all over the country.

He said conducting convocations of AIOU in all the four provinces of the country was under consideration for a long time.

The VC said during the year 2002 about 365,720 students were enrolled in the university, adding that 240,000 students were enrolled in the first semester of all the faculties and it would reach to 450,000 students during the two semesters in 2003.

He said 1,152,000 students at the AIOU belonged to NWFP of which that 36 per cent were girls.

He said being the second open university in the world, the  AIOU  had also started  international  programmes  in collaboration with Commonwealth and South Asia Foundation, saying that all the degrees were recognised and equal to other universities in public sector.

He said in 1995, Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) provided Rs 20.5 million for the establishment of studio and it had agreed to provide Rs 480 million to be released by end of this year.