Allama Iqbal Open University (AIOU) Vice Chancellor Dr Ziaul Qayyum has said that his university was providing skilled training required for workers to contribute to the China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). Qayyam elaborated that the university had planned to start a project to provide skilled training required in Industrial Zones along the route of CPEC to the people of the areas. Initially, such setup is being arranged in Rashakai and Gilgit-Baltistan industrial zones, he said in an interview with the official media. Qayyam maintained it would be a sustainable model for the local people, adding, the university was already in process of designing a course in this regard. About the provision of free education to various segments of the society, he informed that the university was providing free education to transgender, prisoners and martyrs’ children. Currently, around 30 transgenders were getting free education from the university, he remarked. The VC underlined that the AIOU was all set to open up its full-fledged regional office in Afghanistan to promote education in the country at this much needed time. “The office would be set up once the university gets permission from the federal government, which is already helping Afghanistan in various fields,” he mentioned. The initiative of offering helping hand to Afghanistan, he stated, paced up after the recent visit of Afghan Ministry of Higher Education delegation during which the delegates had requested the varsity to help their country in promoting education, reconstructing educational infrastructure and training Afghan teachers. The AIOU VC underscored that the AIOU was already helping Afghan students residing in refugee camps in acquiring education from the university, adding that the visiting delegation were well aware about the operations of varsity.