ISLAMABAD: President Dr Arif Alvi has asked the Higher Education Commission (HEC) to further improve online distance learning policy keeping in view the fast-changing requirements of the modern era.
The President made these remarks while chairing a meeting of the Higher Education Commission on Friday. Executive Director of HEC, Dr Shaista Sohail and senior government officials attended the meeting whereas Dr Atta-ur-Rahman and members of HEC’s committee on the said policy participated via video-link.
The president highlighted that the importance of distance learning education had increased manifold, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic. He also called for integrating distance learning programmes into the mainstream education system.
President Alvi was informed that the main objective of the policy was to provide rules, guidelines, and minimum quality standards under which the universities would be allowed to offer online and distance education.
It was told that the ODL policy would provide a platform to the institutions which wanted to provide affordable online education to the students. It is also aimed at putting in place a uniform assessment system for the students to maintain the quality of education.
Appreciating the online and distance learning education programmes being offered by the Virtual University (VU) of Pakistan, the president urged the need for multiplying the efforts of institutions like VU to increase the enrollment of students.
He also highlighted the fact that the content of the online or distance learning courses should be devised according to the requirements of the market.
He further underlined the need to increase the number of students at higher education institutions for the socio-economic development of the country.
