ISLAMABAD, June 17: The Education Ministry has issued directives to all the educational institutions not to allow any organizations or NGO for distributing questionnaires or sample surveys among the students and teachers, without getting approval of the ministry.

Federal Minister for Education, Lt-Gen (retired) Javed Ashraf Qazi issued the directives after taking serious notice of reports that some NGOs were conducting surveys and distribution questionnaires in the educational institutions.

He directed the education secretary to convey his orders to all concerned that in future all sample, surveys, questionnaires and training workshops conducted by the NGOs or other organizations in the Islamabad Capital Territory would only be allowed after the approval of the federal ministry of education.

Talking to the mediapersons in his chamber at the Parliament House, the minister said the government was not against the civil society organizations. He termed his decision a move to safeguard the social norms of Pakistani society.

He said his ministry would always facilitate the NGOs as they were the catalyst of social change if they adhered to a laid down guidelines.