ISLAMABAD: The Ministry of Education in a highly questionable move is trying to re-employ a grade-20 officer of the Federal Directorate of Education (FDE) on a post of grade-21 while a case related to a school plot worth Rs20 billion is pending against the FDE and the officer.

FDE, a subsidiary of the education ministry, is the regulator of 432 educational institutions in Islamabad.

Deputy Director General Tanveer Ahmed, a BS-20 officer, has been running the affairs of the director general’s office (a BS-21 post) since November 7, 2023.

Sources said the officer was going to retire on August 11, 2024, after reaching the age of superannuation. However, the education ministry on Friday moved a summary to the Prime Minister Office, seeking re-employment of the officer for further three years to run the office of the director general.

Deputy director general set to retire on Aug 11; case over handing over of Rs20bn school plot to private party pending against FDE and the officer

“Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif should take notice of the school plot scam and order an inquiry against the education ministry for not completing the process for appointing the FDE DG as the post is lying vacant since July 31, 2023,” said an official, adding the Establishment Division and the law ministry should also look into the matter.

The post of the DG fell vacant on July 31, 2023, after the abrupt removal of Dr Ikram Ali Malik when the education ministry wanted to hand over the 20 kanals government school plot worth Rs20 billion in F-11 to a private party for running an upscale school, which would also offers “free education” to 20pc of students.

However, Mr Malik opposed the move and refused to sign the agreement with the private party. This led to his removal by education ministry, citing “his poor performance.”

Mr Malik was of the view that the land was meant for government schools to offer free education to students and he would not sign any agreement for a commercial venture. He had been appointed as the FDE head for three years after a competitive process, but was shown the door almost three months before the expiry of his term.

DDG Tanveer Ahmed signed the agreement with the private firm soon after he was given the acting charge of the DG FDE. The post is supposed to be filled after competitive process but the education ministry has failed to complete the process.

It is relevant to note here that the Islamabad High Court (IHC), on a petition filed by schoolteachers, stayed handing over of the plot to the private party.

In October last year, while hearing the case, Justice Miangul Hassan Aurangzeb of the IHC had remarked that the case ought to be sent to the National Accountability Bureau (NAB).

Kashif Ali Malik, the counsel for the petitioners, argued before the court that under Article 25-A of the constitution the state was supposed to provide free and compulsory education to all school-going children. The government is under obligation to provide free education to the children which could be provided in government schools, adding that the plot was being given to an upscale school.

When contacted, a spokesperson for the education ministry said, “Case/summary of the extension has been initiated with the approval of competent authority and due to stay order regular appointment faced delay.”

Asked why the post was not filled on time, he said the FDE had floated an advertisement but the process was not completed due to a stay order.

However, an official on condition of anonymity said the education ministry had a fully-fledged wing to deal with court cases and the stay can be removed within weeks.

He added, “Can anyone tell me if there is no officer in the FDE and the entire bureaucracy to be appointed as the DG FDE? Why the education ministry is making all-out efforts for the re-employment of the acting FDE head?”

Published in Dawn, August 3rd, 2024