Students of model colleges being moved to redesignated schools

Parents are rethinking their earlier dissatisfaction with evening classes.

ISLAMABAD:

Parents of students have long demanded for an end to evening classes in Islamabad’s model colleges, but are now hesitant to send their children to the newly upgraded schools’ morning shifts. They fear that their children will be provided with a lower quality of education and fewer facilities.

“My daughter, who was taking evening classes at a model college, will now be adjusted to a designated model school. I fear that her studies will be adversely affected in the changed environment,” said the mother of a class-3 student.

Federal Directorate of Education’s (FDE) Director Colleges, Tariq Masood, confirmed that the students who were earlier studying at model colleges are  being adjusted at certain federal government schools and colleges which have been redesignated as model schools. Following the PM’s directives, the FDE is taking steps to introduce a unified system of education in the capital, one of which is the abolition of evening shifts. More than 100 federal government schools have been renamed as model schools.

However, parents are now demanding that their children be allowed to continue taking evening classes at the colleges instead of being sent to other schools. Responding to a question, Tariq said that the faculty members would be transferred to the new schools along with the students so that the latter’s study routine is not affected.

“Following assessment, students of ‘different calibres’ will be adjusted accordingly at each institute,” he said, adding, “The directorate will accommodate the maximum number of Class-1 students at the institutes this year.” 

Published in The Express Tribune, March 28^th, 2011.