ISLAMABAD: The Federal Directorate of Education (FDE) has completed the PC-1, worth over Rs3 billion, for renovating 200 schools under the Prime Minister’s Education Reforms Programme.

“After completing the PC-1, we have moved it to the Ministry of Capital Administration and Development Division. When it is approved from there, the PC-1 will be forwarded to the Planning Commission,” said coordinator of the prime minister’s reform programme, Dr Tariq Masood.

Under this PC-1, 200 schools will be renovated, and the sewerage system repaired, Dr Masood, who is also the director of Model Colleges, said.

The coordinator said that children in prep and nursery classes will also be given free meals of milk and biscuits.

After these 200 schools are renovated, FDE will be preparing to renovate the remaining 200, said FDE Director Planning Taj Bhatti.

While the renovation of the first 22 schools was done by the Capital Development Authority, Mr Bhatti said that the Public Works Department will be carrying out the renovation of the next 200 schools.

A source said that special funds are likely to be earmarked in the budget for the fiscal year 2016-17 for the prime minister’s education reforms.

FDE runs 422 educational institutions of which 22 were renovated in the first phase of the reform programme.

In one of these renovated schools, the Islamabad Model School for Girls in Sohan, there are still not enough rooms to hold classes in and three classes are being taught in the open air. In many of the renovated schools, problems with the sewerage system also persist.

“New tiles were installed in our washrooms, but these are useless until the decades old sewerage system is replaced,” said a teacher of Islamabad Model School for Girls in G-6/2.

The FDE has, however, now decided to repair the sewerage systems in government run schools during the renovation work, said programme coordinator Tariq Masood.

Published in Dawn, May 2nd, 2016