A four-year profile document of Allama Iqbal Open University (AIOU) was launched on Sunday, showing its major initiatives and the reformative measures taken during the period to enhance its academic standing and infrastructure development. It carried the details that helped to bring about qualitative improvement in the university’s overall working and upgrading its academic output, both quality and quantity-wise. The specific areas which received special attention were promotion of research culture, professional development, incentives and facilities for employees, revision of curricula and textbooks, effective support system and development of new academic programmes. AIOU Vice Chancellor Professor Dr Shahid Siddiqui who will relinquish his charge today (Monday) on completion of his four-year tenure said that he tried his best to raise the development level of the university in all respects. He said he gave his employees respect, trust and space to work that helped to achieve specific targets he set four years back. Today, the university is on a very sound footing, both enrolment and cash-flow wise. The recent enrolments were the highest in its history. There were more than 700,000 admissions during last semester. The four-year profile highlighted the measures taken to improve delivery system, strengthening and development of departments, extension and beautification of AIOU, education response to the China Pakistan Economic Corridor and national and international collaborations. During the period, the university also fulfilled its responsibilities by upgrading the facilities of providing free education to marginalised sections of the society, including prisoners, drop-out girls, disabled people and transgender persons. Matriculation-level education was made free for the students of Balochistan and tribal areas. Various measures were also taken for reconstruction of the university’s image. In order to create conducive working environment and to encourage employees to do the best, they were given their due promotion and the vacant vacancies were fulfilled. According to the profile, the university built itself as a research-based educational institution by producing quality journals and holding a number of international and national conferences for creating and disseminating knowledge in various disciplines. The university also achieved highest number of Higher Education Commission’s funded projects as well as winning indexing agency’s status. During this period, special efforts were made to make the university’s 44 regional offices’ role more effective and result-oriented in the educational pursuits. They were strengthened and empowered to serve the students and to achieve the target of Education for All. Published in Daily Times, September 8th 2018.