ISLAMABAD:
The Capital Administration and Development Division (CADD) has decided to abolish evening shifts in the capital’s schools and colleges.
CADD Minister of State Usman Ibrahim on Monday ordered authorities to shift all evening classes to morning sessions, saying it was not feasible to run two parallel shifts in schools and colleges.
The minister said two shifts necessitate double number of teachers and supporting staff, two transport shifts and more funds which was a problem for the division. He said there were not enough funds to run two shifts.
Evening shifts in Islamabad’s schools and colleges started some 20 years ago to accommodate the maximum number of students in the available infrastructure.
Students in the evening shifts were being enrolled on a self-finance basis and parents had also complained about high fees for students in the evening sessions. Institutes running evening classes include Islamabad College for Boys G-6/3, Islamabad Model College for Boys (IMCB) F-8/4, IMCB F-7/3, Islamabad College for Girls (ICG) F-6/3, ICG F-6/2 and IMCB G-10/4.
According to a government audit report, in 2011-12, the colleges collected Rs18.93 million in fees from students in the evening classes that year. A Federal Directorate of Education (FDE) notification in 2013 banned institutes from collecting tuition fees from class I through X as Article 25-A of the Constitution bounds the state to provide free-and-compulsory education to children aged 5-16.
The minister said that, where possible, evening students will be shifted to morning sessions without delay. The evening shifts will be phased out at schools and colleges where the evening students are too many to be accommodated in the morning classes right away.
Students in evening shifts at Islamabad Model Postgraduate College H-8 and Islamabad Model College for Boys H-9 would be shifted to morning sessions after Eidul Azha.
The meeting, which was attended by education high-ups, agreed to build new classrooms at some schools and colleges to accommodate all the students in the morning sessions. They also agreed to use buildings which have been underutilised so far to absorb the increased number in the morning shift.
Talking about the shortage of teaching and supporting staff, the minister said a recruitment committee would be formed to brainstorm and give recommendations on the issue.
Ibrahim also directed officials to prepare a PC-1 of 100 school buses to resolve the issue of transportation of the students.
Published in The Express Tribune, September 30th, 2014.
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