ISLAMABAD: The Federal Government Teachers Association (FGTA) Monday demanded of the Ministry of Federal Education and Professional Training to appoint a permanent head of Federal Directorate of Education as soon as possible.
They said that the post of Director General FDE, a body regulating above
400 public-sector educational institutions in the city fell vacant in 2016 which yet waited for the permanent appointment.
Talking to APP, FGTA President Malik Ameer Khan said that around 423 educational institutions, with more than 15,000 teaching and non-teaching staff and nearly 250,000 students were under the educational directorate, but yet the appointment process of FDE head was not completed.
He said that issues like regularization of teachers hired on daily wages or contract basis, absorption of teachers from various provinces to serve in Islamabad were pending due to absence of permanent director-general of the FDE.
He said that the previous government had failed in appointing permanent DG FDE despite launching of Prime Minister Education Reforms Programme worth of Rs 4 billion to upgrade the infrastructure of schools and colleges.
It is worth mentioning here that the FDE has been run by five acting heads in three years but yet the problem is waiting for a permanent solution to give the department a direction.
After the retirement of the last permanent head of FDE Dr Shahnaz Riaz, the acting charge of the directorate was given to then Joint Secretary at Ministry of Capital Administration and Development Division Ayesha Farooq by the previous government.
Later, the charge was given to Hasnat Quershi, Dr Tariq Masood, Dr Ali Ahmed Khan Kharal respectively and now Syed Umair Javed has been awarded the acting charge of DG FDE.
Syed Umair Javed, a Joint Secretary at education ministry was given temporary charge of acting DG FDE for 3 months, while after completion of his term, he was again given the charge till further orders, they added.
However, the parents and students of Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT) told APP that the largest department of education in the city did not have a head with an education background. They said that the post was being run on Adhoc-basis.
A father Farman Ali said that the education policies and development projects were delayed due to the non-availability of the permanent head.
A senior official from FDE said that schools and colleges were facing financial and administrative problems, while the department regulating 423 institutions does not have its own head.
Commenting on the issue, he said that the appointment of a permanent head of FDE would pave the way for resolutions of problems of the directorate.
He said the government must appoint a permanent head of FDE which should be taken from within the education department for at least three years.
