Another change of guard at FDE

The frequent change of guard at the Federal Directorate of Education (FDE) has badly affected the performance of educational institutions in the capital.

“There are thousands of out-of-school children in the capital, the standard of education for enrolled students is also not up to the mark, but I don’t know when the government will take this institution seriously,” said an officer of the FDE.

“DGs join the institution, make some policies but after a few months and in some cases a few days we see a new DG. The system is badly disturbed here,” he added.

The FDE, which looks after the affairs of 422 educational institutions, has been facing several administrative issues because the bureaucracy in the Capital Administration and Development Division (CADD) always picks a wrong person for the important seat.

Continuing its predecessors’ habit, the current government also appointed at least two directors general against the rules. Both the times, however, the Supreme Court directed the government to remove the officers.

The latest one, Dr Ali Ahmed Kharal, will leave the post in coming days as the apex court termed the appointment improper and ordered the government to denotify him and submit a compliance report after 15 days.

A number of teachers and officers of the FDE expressed their displeasure over what they said the illogical decisions made by CADD. “The post of DG has become a joke. An inquiry should be held to know what our bosses want,” said an officer. It may be noted that during the last 27 months, the FDE has seen 12 directors general.

Youth carnival begins

A three-day youth festival started at the Institute of Space Technology (IST) on Thursday.

Speaking at the opening ceremony, Wasim Sohail Hashmi Syed, adviser on human resource development at the HEC, said co-curricular activities in educational institutions were very important.

These activities help students develop an understanding of human nature besides working in a team, motivating people and getting the maximum output from them.

On the first day, various events, including qiraat, hamd and naat contests, bilingual essay and story writing competitions were held.

Published in Dawn, April 1st, 2016