ISLAMABAD: State Minister for Capital Administration and Development Division (CADD) Dr Tariq Fazal Chaudhary on Friday apprised the Senate that Private Educational Institutions (Registration and Fee Determination) Rules, 2016 have been framed to register, regulate and determine fee of private educational institutions in Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT) in pursuance of ICT Private Educational Institutions (Registration and Regulation) Act, 2013.
While replying to a query during the question hour session, the minister said that major chains of private educational institutions, namely, Beaconhouse School System, the City School, Roots School System, Roots Millennium Schools, Roots International Schools, Headstart School System and Lahore Grammar School, have challenged these rules in Islamabad High Court.
He said in July last year, the court had allowed these petitioners to charge fee on their own till the final decision of the petitions. The court had further passed restraining orders to the extent of these petitioners that the authority shall not take any coercive measures against them on account of fee increase, he added.
However, the minister said that due to delays in the final judgment on these writ petitions, the authority had filed a Civil Petition for Leave to Appeal (CPLA) in the Supreme Court (SC) against the relief granted to petitioners as referred above.
He said that the SC directed the IHC to dispose of the matter within a period of two weeks, adding that in compliance to orders of the apex court, hearing of the case had been completed by October 22 and the judgment was reserved.
Replying to another query, the minister said that some 250,000 children were studying in the private educational institutions in capital city.
To another question, he said there were five federal government hospitals, namely the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences, Federal Government Poly Clinic Islamabad, National Institute of Rehabilitative Medicine, Federal General Hospital Islamabad and Capital Hospital, which were working under the administrative control of CADD ministry.
Furthermore, the minister said that at present the hospitals lacked child psychiatry departments, while adding that children were being currently examined in PIMS Psychiatric Department.
Dr Tariq Fazal also said that around 592 teachers in BPS-17 were eligible for promotion to BPS-18. A case of 405 teachers was being processed in CADD for holding Departmental Promotion Committee, which was proposed to be held by November, he added.
He said the remaining 187 cases were still under process in Federal Directorate of Education and would be completed shortly.