ISLAMABAD: An inordinate delay of twenty months in the appointment of the director general of the Federal Directorate of Education (FDE) — a regulatory body that oversees the affairs of 431 public sector schools and colleges in Islamabad — has raised serious questions.

In the absence of a regular director general, the Ministry of Federal Education and Professional Training is running the affairs of the regulatory body on an ad-hoc basis.

The post fell vacant in July 2023 last year, when the then DG was sidelined in a highly suspicious manner.

Since then, the key office has been run through ad-hoc arrangements.

Officials blame court case for persistant delays in appointment

In September last year, the ministry of education completed the interview process for appointment to the key slot and shortlisted a three candidates.

The list was subsequently sent to the Prime Minister’s (PM) Office for selection of the best candidate. However, the process could not be completed as sources said that the PM’s Office raised questions about the summary.

“Yes, the PM Office sent back the summary. But, there was no major objection, rather due to a court case against the appointment of the DG, the PM Office and law wing directed us to get a clearance from the court first,” said an official from the education ministry.

He said the ministry was pursuing the case consistently and added, “Hopefully, the court will decide the fate of the case soon and we will resubmit the summary”.

On the other hand, an official of FDE said that there was a need to look into the issue as to why a regular DG was not appointed for the last 20 long months.

“If there was any court case, it should have been vigorously pursued, but running the office of the DG on an ad-hoc basis for 20 months raises questions,” the official said.

Last year, three educationists – Institute of Business Administration, Karachi, Assistant Professor Noreen Ayaz, Engineering Development Board Adviser and PIDE Assistant Professor Dr Shahid Razzaq and Health Services Academy Dean and Associate Professor Dr Tariq Mehmood – were recommended for the slot.

“Our interview process is already completed and a panel of three shortlisted candidates is also ready. Once the matter is settled by the court, we will send the summary instantly to the PM Office for appointment,” the official added.

According to sources, former DG Dr Ikram Ali Malik was removed from his position because of his opposition to the education ministry’s plan to hand over a government school plot to a private firm under a public-private partnership for running an elite private school for 22 years.

Sources said the former FDE head also opposed another project worth Rs1 billion for teachers’ training by a private firm and the alleged interference of the ministry in the recruitment process.

After his removal, the deputy DG was given the charge of DG, who too was retired after reaching the age of superannuation in August last year. Subsequently, Ministry of Education and Professional Training Joint Secretary Syed Junaid Akhlaq was assigned the task of handling the affairs of FDE.

Published in Dawn, February 13th, 2025