Education reforms stifled by red tape

FDE, looking after 424 schools and colleges in Islamabad is in state of complete turmoil


Zafar Ali January 01, 2015

The truth about the federal government’s claims of working on education reforms can be gauged by the fact that the Federal Directorate of Education (FDE), which looks after some 424 schools and colleges in the Islamabad Capital Territory, is in a state of complete turmoil. Scenes akin to a fish market can be seen on FDE premises on a daily basis, with both teachers and other school staff hired on contract staging demonstrations and demanding their regularisation.

The mess within FDE started when the previous government reinstated several employees, who had been sacked earlier, without following the rules and criteria set in 1996. The reinstated employees not only got permanent jobs but received millions of rupees in outstanding arrears as well.

The episode did not end there, however. The previous government also hired thousands of other people on contractual and daily-wage basis even though FDE and education institutes were already overstaffed.

The cabinet committee on regularisation headed by Khurshid Shah, then federal minister for religious affairs, approved the regularisation of the daily wagers in September 2012. FDE and the Ministry of Capital Administration and Development (CADD), however, showed reluctance in issuing a notification in this regard as most of the workers did not meet the set criteria.

Since then, the workers have been protesting on the street for their regularisation, putting FDE and the CADD ministry in an awkward situation. So far, no way has been found to sort the issue out.

The constant coming and going of director-generals at FDE over the years has further added fuel to the fire. Lingering issues like the regularisation of contractual employees, the absorption of deputationists, the promotions of teachers and a shortage of teaching staff have been hallmarks of FDE as well.

If the federal government is serious about education reforms, it should put FDE under the federal education ministry to clean up the mess as the CADD ministry seems least interested in putting the house in order. Only a dedicated ministry can extricate the FDE from the morass of red-tape.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 1st, 2015.

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