ISLAMABAD: The Federal Directorate of Education (FDE) re-appropriated Rs36 million to help struggling and fund-less federal government (FG) schools.

FDE supervises two types of educational institutions- FG schools and model schools and colleges.

Model schools and colleges are provided with significant funding by the government and the colleges also charge senior classes a fee.

However, after the imposition of Article 25-A of the Constitution, FG schools are bound not to charge any fee from its students as it is the state’s responsibility to provide free and compulsory education to children between the ages of five and 16.

However, while implementing Article 25-A, the government did not increase funding for FG schools, which are given nominal funding which is not enough to run the day-to-day affairs.

FDE officials said that on the directives of Education Minister Shafqat Mehmood, the directorate had started an austerity drive and on Thursday re-appropriated Rs36.85 million for FG schools.

These funds will now be given to 80 primary schools for repairing furniture, 102 middle and high schools and 39 higher secondary schools for purchasing stationary

Talking to Dawn, the FDE DG Dr Ali Ahmed Kharal confirmed that the funds will be re-appropriated and that the step was taken to lend help to struggling FG schools.

“In many schools, I saw students did not have answering sheets and there were also complaints of broken furniture. I have directed the principles to use the fund in the interests of the students,” he said, adding that he has taken several other initiatives to help students on the directive of the minister and secretary education.

Mr Kharal said all schools under FDE will be given separate budget IDs from the upcoming financial year.

FG institutions lag behind model ones. In 2011, former prime minister Syed Yousaf Raza Gillani had approved a uniform education system for the federal capital, upgrading FG institutions to match the standard of model ones.

Following the announcement, FDE had changed the nomenclature of all educational institutions, including model colleges and schools.

However, there is still a huge gap in both systems with the FG system comprising of 403 institutions and model system comprising of 20 schools and colleges.

FG schools were also renovated under the Prime Minister’s Education Reforms Program which was started by former premier Nawaz Sharif. In the first phase, 22 schools were renovated and the second phase of upgrading 200 schools is ongoing but work has been halted due to shortage of funds.

Published in Dawn, February 15th, 2019