Islamabad, April 21: Allama Iqbal Open University (AIOU) has been allotted 10 acres State land in Baluchistan to set up a Model Study Center at Kharan to meet the educational needs of the local people.

According to the University’s Director Regional Services Inamullah Sheikh, the Board of Revenue, Baluchistan leased out the land to the University free of cost, with the approval of the provincial government.

The land is situated in the premises of Municipal Committee, Kharan. It will enable the University to establish the Center in its own building.

Earlier, the Study Centre was set up in a house donated by the Chief Justice of Federal Shariat Court (FSC), honourable Justice Muhammad Noor Meskanzai, who wanted to expand the educational facilities in the province. He had appreciated the AIOU’s distance learning system to achieve the objective.

The Centre was inaugurated on temporary basis in July last year by the Vice Chancellor Prof. Dr. Zia Ul-Qayyum while he was on a tour to Baluchistan for exploring further avenues of strengthening educational network in the province.

The Study Centre is a part of the Allama Iqbal Open University’s consistent efforts to upgrade the educational facilities particularly in the country’s far-flung regions.

On the instructions of the Vice Chancellor, the number of regional offices and the study centers is being increased to bring the education at the door-step of the people, particularly for those living in remote areas.

These offices and centers have been empowered to provide best possible service to its around 1.4 million students across the country.

It may be mentioned here that the University was providing free Matric-level education to the students from Baluchistan, besides other financial support under its various scholarships’ schemes.

It was also the part of the University’s policy taking care of marginalized sections as well as less-developed regions.