Daily Times

The students of Allama Iqbal Open University (AIOU) on Monday demanded the government to include the varsity in the Prime Minister Laptop scheme so that its students, especially Ph.D and Mphil are facilitated to carry on their higher studies. They were of the view that being the largest public sector university with higher ranks, AIOU was not included in the PM laptop scheme. As per the Impact Ranking 2023 of the Times Higher Education, Allama Iqbal Open University was ranked first among 66 public and private universities in Pakistan while it is ranked 25th among 1304 universities worldwide.
The students term the non-inclusion decision as totally injustice as it would have affect on hundreds of students particularly Ph.D and Mphil in various disciplines who were carrying forward their education as per other public sector universities. “AIOU is the only university in Pakistan which was included in the top 25 universities of the world,” said Ambreen Iqbal an Mphil scholar while talking to APP. Ambreen said that since she and her fellows belong to middle-class families so could not afford to buy laptops for research work adding that the exclusion of AIOU University from PM laptop scheme, dashed down their hopes to get a laptop.
Another Ph.D scholar Ahsan while quoting their senior fellows said that AIOU students were also ignored in PM’s Laptop scheme earlier on the pretext that the university was imparting education through distance learning. However, later, AIOU students were included in the scheme as all Ph.D and Mphil students of various departments were engaged in face-to-face education like other public sector universities. A student of M.Sc Chemistry Fauzia Hameed said that she and her classes fellow were eagerly waiting for resuming of the PM Laptop scheme but they were disappointed over hearing the exclusion of the university from the scheme. She also called upon Shaza Fatima, PM Special Assistant on Youth and Affairs Chairman HEC Dr Mukhtar Ahmed to include AIOU in the PM Laptop Scheme.