PESHAWAR: The University of Peshawar has decided to extend its distance education programme to the prisoners across the province.

A news release issued by the UoP said the academic council of the university met on Thursday at the Sir Sahibzada Abdul Qayyum Hall of the campus.

Vice-Chancellor Professor Mohammad Rasul Jan chaired the meeting, where deans of the faculties, heads of the teaching and administrative departments, and nominated members of the affiliated colleges were in attendance.

The council decided to set up a centre in the Central Jail Peshawar for distance education of prisoners.

At the request of the inspector general of prisons, it decided to provide MA and MSc examination facility to the eligible prisoners with complete fee waiver.

The council also recommended the allocation of special seats for the students of the republic of Maldives and grant of 50 percent fee waiver to the students of Kohistan to encourage enrolments in the university from the underprivileged district.

It passed a package for its physically handicapped students and proposed the formation of a committee under the chairmanship of Dr Taj Moharram Khan to finalise modalities for the purpose.

The council complying with the directives of the Higher Education Commission decided to phase out the one-year BEd programme from the current year and continue with the four-year BEd degree programme to improve the quality of teaching at primary and secondary level, the news release said.

Published in Dawn, May 6th, 2016