ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court directed the Capital Administration and Development Division (CADD) on Monday to replace Moinuddin Ahmed Wani as director general of the Federal Directorate of Education (FDE).

Mr Wani, a grade 19 officer from the customs group, is the brother of Prime Minister’s Press Secretary on Media Coordination Mohiuddin Wani.

He was appointed as DG FDE, a grade 20 post, on October 27, 2015 under section 10 of the Civil Servants Act 1973 as a replacement of the then DG, Dr Shahnaz Riaz, who was transferred to the National Institute of Science and Technology. Dr Riaz did not join and challenged her removal from the post in the Supreme Court.

Asking why a customs officer was appointed head of an educational body, a three-member bench, headed by Justice Amir Hani Muslim, set aside Mr Wani’s appointment and directed the appointment of an eligible officer from within the organisation in accordance with the rules and procedures.

The apex court asked why a customs officer was heading an educational body

Adjourning the case till February 17, the apex court directed that Dr Shahnaz Riaz’s dues be cleared. According to the rules, the CADD ministry was to send a panel of three names to the prime minister to make an appointment from.

CADD Secretary Khalid Hanif told Dawn that the court had directed the Establishment Division to denotify DG Wani.

“In the meantime we will appoint someone on a temporary basis on the seat and then send three names to the prime minister,” he said.

Mr Hanif added that the court had also directed him to consider Shahnaz Riaz’s name for the panel.

Sources in both FDE and CADD said that before initiating the prime minister’s reform initiatives, the government should have appointed an eligible officer as DG FDE.

A CADD officer, commenting on the frequent changes at FDE, said these were one of the bigger reasons for the department’s poor performance.

“Though the new appointment to the post will be responsible for continuing with the policy of their predecessor regarding the education reforms, the trends of the past are not very encouraging,” he said.

The officer continued: “Every new DG starts his own programmes and does not continue with those of the officer before him and this is the reason for the department’s problems. What happened to the initiative of bringing out of school children into classrooms by paying them a stipend which was started by former DG Aamir Khawaja”.

It would seem FDE has been playing musical chairs with its directors general for the last many years. In the year 2014 alone, seven DGs, both regular and temporary, have been changed. In 2015, the then DG Aamir Ashraf Khawaja, was replaced by Dr Riaz on the directives from the Supreme Court. Dr Riaz was in turn replaced by Mr Wani in October last.

Following the Supreme Court’s decision of replacing the incumbent DG, the teachers’ community in the federal capital has demanded that the new DG should be one of the grade 20 teachers.

Published in Dawn, February 2nd, 2016