Asian Association of Open Universities (AAOU) has awarded the AAOU Meritorious Service Award 2024 to Dr. Zahid Majeed, Director of Academic Planning & Course Production at AIOU. This award acknowledges and appreciates Dr. Zahid's 23 years of effort and contribution to the field of Open and Distance Learning (ODL). The AAOU, established in 1987, is an association of Asian Open Universities, currently comprising over 60 full-time members and around 30 associate members. Each year the association invites applications for the AAOU Meritorious Service Award, from both member and non-member institutions. The evaluation process for this prestigious award is highly competitive. This year, the jury comprised the Chancellor of the Open University Philippines, the President of Asia e University, Malaysia, and the Director of Distance Learning, Hong Kong Metropolitan University.

After thorough evaluation and document to document analysis, nominees from Korea, India, and Pakistan were considered. The jury members rigorously examined each candidate’s qualifications, research contributions, and impact on Open and Distance Learning. Ultimately, they unanimously selected Dr. Zahid Majeed of AIOU, Pakistan. The jury recognized Dr. Zahid's 25 years of contributions to ODL, particularly his research, writing, curriculum development, and innovative approaches to include students with special needs in the ODL system. They also commended his efforts to raise awareness within higher education institutions, particularly open universities, about the importance of supporting special needs students in an accessible, affordable, and feasible educational framework like ODL. As a faculty and advocate of Special and Inclusive Education with over 25 years of experience, Dr. Zahid has authored several books and articles, developed learning materials, and proposed inclusive education models for ODL.

Additionally, he collaborated with UNESCO to create guidelines for incorporating students with special needs into the ODL framework. Besides his efforts in inclusive education, the jury also recognized Dr. Zahid’s contributions in teacher training, consultancy, research projects, and his active involvement in AAOU. The Vice Chancellor of AIOU expressed that it is a great honor for both AIOU and Pakistan that Dr. Zahid’s tireless efforts have been recognized with this prestigious award. In his acceptance speech, Dr. Zahid thanked AAOU, stating, "This is a great honor for me, my parents, family, colleagues, university, and my country, Pakistan." He also added that this recognition has further motivated him to contribute even more towards the promotion of ODL in Pakistan and across AAOU member countries.

Credit: Independent News Pakistan