ISLAMABAD: Ministry of Federal Education and Professional Training and the Capital Administration and Development Division (CADD) are at loggerheads over the transfer of curriculum experts.

Last year, the ministry of CADD on the directives of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif handed over the curriculum wing, which was earlier a part of the defunct ministry of education, to the newly-formed Federal Education and Professional Training Ministry.

Through a notification, the ministry of CADD in June last year also transferred seven curriculum experts/education advisers. However, the experts could not join their new assignments as the ministry of education asked them to give their joining through the MS wing of the Establishment Division.

According to sources, the curriculum experts, with the consent of CADD authorities, managed to avoid their transfers. But since then, the ministry of federal education has been requesting CADD to transfer all the curriculum experts.

Despite PM’s directive, CADD is yet to send nine curriculum experts to education ministry

A couple of days ago, CADD notified its own capital curriculum and textbook wing for educational institutions in Islamabad to meet a requirement under the Right to Free and Compulsory Education Act 2012.

However, CADD did not mention the names of the curriculum officers and experts who will run the wing responsible for the development of the curriculum besides carrying out evaluation procedures, including the approval of syllabi and textbooks.

When contacted, CADD Additional Secretary Malik Qaisar Majid said the curriculum experts would run the newly-notified curriculum wing.

Senior-most curriculum expert, Nasir Khan, added that all the experts were a part of CADD. “Being regular employees of CADD, we will work in the newly-formed capital curriculum wing. There is no question about our transfer to the federal education ministry,” he said.

On the other hand, Joint Education Adviser of the ministry of federal education, Rafiq Tahir, said as per the prime minister’s directive CADD was bound to transfer all the assets and staff, including the curriculum experts.

“Our work is suffering. A couple of days ago, through an official letter, we requested CADD to transfer the curriculum experts,” he said, adding his ministry would take up the matter with CADD on Monday.

Another officer of the education ministry, requesting not to be named, said last year CADD had delayed the handing over of the curriculum wing building which invited the prime minister’s intervention.

“Earlier, CADD delayed the process of handing over the building and assets and now it is using delaying tactics in transferring the staff,” the officer said and added that CADD was bound to transfer all the nine curriculum wing officers and subordinate staff along with the budget and posts.

On the other hand, officials in CADD told Dawn that the ministry of education should not have approached the Prime Minister Office to get the control of the curriculum wing.

“As per requirement of Right to Free and Compulsory Education Act 2012, we are bound to have our own curriculum wing. But last year our wing was transferred to the federal education ministry,” the officials said. As a last resort, CADD had to notify its own curriculum wing.

“We can’t relieve our curriculum experts as we have to develop the curriculum for educational institutions.”

The officials said due to the tug of war between the two ministries, two of the nine curriculum experts managed to get themselves posted to the ministry of housing and works and the ministry of national food security and research.

Published in Dawn, January 18th, 2016