President Dr. Arif Alvi has called for introducing special educational tools for differently-abled people, particularly the visually and hearing-impaired people, to facilitate them in continuing their higher education.

He made these remarks while chairing a follow-up meeting on Allama Iqbal Open University in Islamabad on Thursday.

The President also emphasized that the huge number of out of school children is a major issue that needs to be addressed with the collective efforts of educational institutions, civil society and non-governmental organizations.

He underscored the need for skill-based courses to equip the youth with employable skills, particularly in the IT sector.

He also underlined the need to introduce 2-year Associate Degree Programs to fulfill the market demand for skilled professionals.

The President said AIOU needs to further increase its outreach through online and distance learning modes to increase the number of graduates in the country.

While briefing the meeting, the Vice-Chancellor of AIOU highlighted that during the last two years, AIOU has transformed its operations through massive technological interventions under its "Digital Transformation Policy".

Source: Radio Pakistan