ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, expressing displeasure over the inordinate delay in the appointment of the director general (DG) Federal Directorate of Education (FDE), has ordered the Ministry of Education to take immediate steps for an early appointment.

Sources said that a few days ago Mr Sharif took notice of the issue. Officers of the ministry informed him that due to a court case, the appointment was facing delay.

“This is no way to handle education bodies. If there is any court case it is responsibility of ministry to get it vacated. I want to see early appointment,” he was quoted by a source as saying.

FDE is the regulatory body to oversee 431 schools and colleges of Islamabad, but it has been run on ad hoc basis since July 2023.

A joint secretary at the education ministry has been looking after the affairs of FDE since August 2024.

“JS Education has been looking after affairs of DG FDE efficiently, but he has limitations and this important position [DG FDE] deserves full time appointment,” said an official of the FDE. He said a regular DG works independently and is supposed to show performance. “Therefore, there is immediate need of regular appointment” he said.

The post fell vacant in a dramatic move in July 2023 when then DG Dr Ikram Ali Malik was sidelined by the education ministry citing his “poor performance.” Reportedly, he had differences with the education ministry on three major issues - leasing of a public school plot to a private firm under public-private partnership, recruitment of teaching and non-teaching staff and a project related to teachers training.

Dr Malik had openly objected to these three initiatives of the ministry and all of a sudden he was removed from the post.

Sources said when the matter was brought into notice of the PM last year, he appointed Dr Malik as chairman of the federal board.

The education ministry had last year, after a competitive process, shortlisted three candidates for the post of the FDE head and sent the list to the PM office for picking one of them.

Meanwhile, a female college principal filed a petition in court, challenging the criteria of the appointment. The Islamabad High Court dismissed the petition on April 15 this year; however, the petitioner filed an intra-court appeal and obtained a stay order.

When contacted, Secretary Education Nadeem Mahbub said: “The Ministry had advertised the post and candidates were selected. However, as a result of a stay order, the case could not be finalized.” He added once the case was dismissed in April this year, the summary for appointment was initiated. The petitioner went into appeal and again obtained a stay order before the case was finalised.

“The Ministry is pursuing the case and a CM was also submitted to the court for early hearing and to vacate the stay order,” he said.

Published in Dawn, July 14th, 2025