I REQUEST Allama Iqbal Open University (AIOU) authorities to look into the problem of learning workshops held away from the university campus. I am a BEd student who recently attended the workshop at my regional centre here in Lahore.

On the last day of the workshop all students were asked to give a ‘mandatory fee’ (each student Rs300) for refreshments and snacks for a ‘compulsory party’ to be held, from which the students got practically nothing as it was a party for the administration of the school in which the workshop was being held.

Interestingly, the prospectus of AIOU gives no information about such ‘mandatory fee’ or anything. This practice is sheer extortion and is a way to rob students of their much needed money. Students from a meagre background, like me, enrol in AIOU in order to get good education at a reasonable price. We were 63 students in total, which means Rs18,900 was collected from us in total.

My cousin, studying BEd at Sialkot, later shared the same issue with me and said that this practice was common with workshops held away from the university campus. I was shocked. I can only request the AIOU authorities concerned to look into the matter.

A Student (Name withheld on request)

Islamabad

Published in Dawn, September 29th, 2014