FCE gets control of Islamabad colleges

Move comes a day after FDE given under administrative control of capital’s mayor

ISLAMABAD:

A day after the Federal Directorate of Education (FDE) was put under the administrative control of the Islamabad mayor through an ordinance, the Ministry of Federal Education and Professional Training has put 33 colleges — previously run by the FDE — under the administrative control of the Federal College Education (FCE).

According to notification with a date of November 22, the education ministry has given control of 33 model and federal government colleges including home economics colleges to the FCE. The education ministry’s notification surfaced a day after the ordinance was issued.

The move came a day after the FDE and educational institutions were put under the administrative control of the Islamabad mayor.

An official claimed that on the primary level educational institutions had been given under the administrative control of the Islamabad mayor while higher secondary institutions will remain with the education ministry.

Read FDE put under Islamabad mayor

The ordinance said that “the FDE shall report to the mayor for all purposes of the education to the extent of Capital Territory of Islamabad” and “head of the FDE shall be appointed with the consent of the mayor.

Sources said that the control for the colleges had been given to the FCE to protect the colleges from the mayor’s clout.

The FDE teaching and non-teaching staffers have expressed grave concerns over the decision of putting educational institutions under the control of the Islamabad mayor.

Meanwhile, teachers and non-teaching employees have expressed concern over the new ordinance saying that the placement of the education department under the local government will add to the problems.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 27^th, 2021.