ISLAMABAD, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 20th Jun, 2018 ) :Allama Iqbal Open University (AIOU) has set a record in the recent semester, providing scholarships to its students under community-welfare scheme.

The number of beneficiaries under this scheme reached to 1792 in semester, spring 2018, whereas in the corresponding period last year, the figure was 1092.

In autumn, 2017 the number of beneficiaries were 1280.

According to the department of Students Advisory and Counseling services on Wednesday, the allocated amount for the community welfare-schemes was Rs 4.5 million for the spring semester 2018. However, the University spent an additional amount of Rs 6.4 million in order to accommodate all the applications received during the semester on the directives of the Vice Chancellor Prof Dr Shahid Siddiqui.

The categories of the students come under community's welfare scheme include prisoners, disabled, orphans and transgender.

The Vice Chancellor paid special attention in the recent years, providing free education to the marginalized sections of the people.

The number of scholarships also went high in the recent semester, due to the University's decision of providing free Matric-level education to the students of Baluchistan and FATA.

During the semester, as many as 1376 students of these regions applied for the fee-waiver to get them registered for Matric education. On the advice of the Vice Chancellor, all the applications to this effect were accepted. Both registration and Admission-fee was waived off on this account.

In all, the University offers nine scholarships schemes and special fee-waiver to facilitate the deserving students in carrying out their future education. This also includes special scholarship to internally displaced persons in FATA.

The annual allocation of the funds for these schemes was Rs 170 million. The break-down of the fund was Rs 90 million and Rs. 80 for spring semester, 2018 and autumn 2017 respectively.