Islamabad, Allama Iqbal Open University Islamabad (AIOU) is going to conduct a nationwide research study entitled "Role of Open Distance Learning (ODL) in Women Empowerment in Pakistan: Perceptions of Postgraduate Female Students of AIOU".

Ms Nasim Khan Mahsud, MPhil research scholar working as lecturer in AIOU Department of Sociology is carrying out the study.

Presently, advancements in the lives of women are focus of international community and the government. The study will examine the role of ODL in women empowerment in Pakistan as per perceptions of AIOU female postgraduate students. Education has been recognized as the keystone for viable development. It is recognized that education plays a very important role in empowering individuals through providing them with the knowledge and skills required for successful existence in the society.

AIOU is an institution offering many academic programmes at different levels through ODL and it plays an effective role for promoting women empowerment from center to the widespread areas. It is not only an institution that provides education to all to uplift their living standards, but it can also be considered as a means of promoting the empowerment of the most marginalized sections of the population, especially women.

In the study, women empowerment will be evaluated by its different dimensions especially areas related to political, economic and social. The data shall be collected through detailed questionnaires from the postgraduate female students all over Pakistan.

In addition, it will also be tried to explore the problems and challenges faced by students of the university in different areas of Pakistan to suggest the possible initiatives for improvement.