ISLAMABAD, Feb 17: The Allama Iqbal Open University (AIOU) has launched a Rs100 million information technology networking project for upgradation of the research infrastructure, the university vice-chancellor, Dr Syed Altaf Hussain, said.

Speaking at the inaugural ceremony of the project, he said the distance learning institution was incorporating information and communication technology for the benefit of its students and tutors.

"With the launching of this project, the communication gap between the university campuses spreading all over the country, would be bridged. "It will also make AIOU a fully computerized university of the country," he said.

The vice-chancellor maintained that with this project, the AIOU students who run into hundreds of thousands would be able to get their required information. He said it was an honour for Pakistan that the AIOU had been placed in the list of mega universities-a university with over 100,000 students registration.

The university has already launched post-graduate programme in environmental sciences, executive MBA and MPA programmes in collaboration of common wealth countries. These are some of the programmes, which have helped AIOU to come on a par with international universities.

Prof (Dr) Nazir Ahmed Sangi, project director, said the project was a joint venture of the AIOU and Higher Education Commission (HEC). "We are also in the phase of establishing a (Wide Area Network) WAN between the regional as well as offices in the remote areas," he said.

He also high lighted information systems that would be developed in future to automate the routine work of AIOU that would facilitate its students. He said the network project would be completed by June 2004 and under this project university would train its as many as 1,200 employees in IT.