By Ali Imran
ISLAMABAD: Vice Chancellor, Allama Iqbal Open University (AIOU), Prof. Dr. Nasir Mahmood on Monday said that there is a dire need to equip young people with information technology to achieve speedy progress at domestic and international level.
If the entire system of the university had not been digitized in time, it would not be possible to carry on educational activities during the COVID-19 period, he said while addressing the inaugural ceremony of the newly constructed building of the Directorate of Information and Communication Technology (ICT).
Dr. Nasir Mahmood said that no one in Pakistan has such a platform and students have got online facilities because of digitalization, adding that problems are being solved on priority basis by reason of modern technology.
He said that digitalization was the vision and mission of Dr. Zia ul Qayyum. Despite the interruption caused by COVID-19, he said, AIOU continued its educational activities, which is the credit to the former VC. Executive Director, Higher Education Commission (HEC) and former VC AIOU, Prof Dr. Zia ul Qayyum, were also present on the occasion as the chief guests.
Expressing gratitude to the university administration for continuing its efforts for digitalization policy, Dr. Zia said that good initiatives should be carried forward to strengthen institutions. He said that new ICT building is a modern facility, and it should be run by planning.
After digitization, he said it is imperative to pay special attention to the quality of education and course development, particularly in standardizing the texts of undergraduate, BS, postgraduate diploma programs, and associate programs. Registrar AIOU, Raja Umar Younis, deans, and principal officers also participated in the ceremony.
