AIOU extends free education to transgenders, prisoners & disabled

By Ali Imran

ISLAMABAD: Allama Iqbal Open University (AIOU) offers free education to the marginalized and disadvantaged sections of the society, especially transgenders, disables, and prisoners. VC AIOU Professor Dr. Zia Ul-Qayyum has directed all administrative, servicing and academic departments of the university to work for provision of free education to those who can’t afford education due to some financial, social, cultural or even physical constraints.
Rana Tariq Javed, Director Students Affairs, informed that AIOU Vice Chancellor is determined to eliminate all obstacles in the process of getting education. He further added that according to the Vice Chancellor’s instructions, nobody would be deprived of the basic right to education because of either poverty or disability, therefore, AIOU will provide free of cost but quality education at the doorsteps of such segments of the society. AIOU is a national institution and is striving hard to realize the dream of ‘Education for All’.
Rana Tariq Javed further explained that the university has advertised admissions for Autumn 2020 Semester and trans genders, prisoners or individuals with disability may apply for the advertised programs, however, all such interested candidates will submit admission forms in their respective regional offices. He further informed that university does not demand even registration fee from blind people. AIOU not only grants fee concession but also offers scholarships to its students, he added.
It is to mention here that the AIOU has offered admission to Matric (general), Matric (Dars-e-Nizami), FA (general), FA (Dars-e-Nizami), and I Com. Overseas Pakistani who are living in Saudi Arabia, UAE, Qatar, Bahrain, Oman, Kuwait and America can also take admission in these programmes. They can download admission form from university’s website.