Daily Times

The Allama Iqbal Open University (AIOU) has decided to upgrade its FM’s Radio network for providing media’s support to its 1.3 million students across the country in their academic pursuits.

It has been planned to install new transmitters in eight major cities, including Karachi, Lahore, Mirpur (AJK), Peshawar, DG Khan, Bahawalpur, Peshawar and Quetta. This task will be completed by end of this year. According to a statement, this is part of the initiatives taken by AIOU Vice Chancellor Prof Dr Shahid Siddiqui during the last three and half years for using multi-media’s resources to provide academic support to the students.

Currently, the AIOU’s FM Radio (91.6) transmission is available within the range of 60 kilometer in Rawalpindi and Islamabad.

According to the university’s Institute of Educational Technology, on the directives of the vice chancellor, the timing of the FM’s radio has been extended and now its transmission goes on air from 9am to 9pm. Students and teachers are invited to participate in the daily transmission that also carries some entertainment programmes.

The FM’s programmes are accessible to Facebook as well. The students’ feedback to this effect is highly positive and encouraging. The university has also started broadcasting the FM’s radio programme in different regional languages other than the Urdu. Pakistan television is already presenting the university’s educational programmes in various disciplines on regular basis.

Besides books and other reading material, students are also being facilitated through audio/video support to ensure better results in the exams.

The university’s Web-TV is also available to facilitate students. It telecast its programme from 9am 3pm. daily. The university is also in process of installing its own educational TV channel.

Published in Daily Times, June 16^th 2018.