China-funded smart classroom inaugurated at AIOU

Islamabad: A ‘smart classroom’ established under the supervision of Higher Education Commission (HEC) in the academic complex of Allama Iqbal Open University (AIOU) was inaugurated on Thursday afternoon with the Chinese support.

Vice Chancellor (VC) AIOU Professor Dr Ziaul Qayyum inaugurated the smart classroom. According to AIOU VC, the HEC was awarded this project to establish smart classrooms in Pakistani universities to provide educational support through the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).

The HEC has set up 100 smart classrooms in 50 universities of Pakistan. Two classrooms have been established at Allama Iqbal Open University, one classroom in the Main Campus of AIOU and the other classroom in the Regional Campus Multan.

Speaking on the occasion, Dr Ziaul Qayyum said the AIOU was grateful to HEC and the Government of China for providing smart classrooms. He added: “We must protect this facility for the purpose of education, and we have to work together to ensure better use of this modern technology.”

The Vice Chancellor instructed his team to use the resources of the University to provide this kind of facilities to regional campuses of AIOU especially in the remote areas of the country so that students who were deprived of computer and internet facilities can use the online facilities without facing any problem.

The VC informed that the AIOU had digitized all the academic and administrative operations of AIOU and “it is the only university in Pakistan whose automation has taken place on such a large scale.”

He stressed that it was “our mission to provide the best possible facilities to our students and these classrooms built with the support of HEC will prove to be of great importance.”

In his address, Director General Information Technology (IT), HEC, Naveed Tahir contended that Allama Iqbal Open University was the only distance-learning university in Pakistan where these classrooms have been built. He pledged that HEC will recommend AIOU for project expansion and further funding.

The inauguration ceremony was presided over by the VC, AIOU Dr Ziaul Qayyum. Director General IT, HEC, Naveed Tahir was the guest of honor. Registrar, Raja Umar Younis, Principal Officers and faculty members were also present.