ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Wednesday directed the Capital Development Authority (CDA) to provide a complete record of land allotted to private educational institutions in the federal capital, while hearing a petition against the transfer of a prime government plot to a private school operator.
Justice Raja Inaam Ameen Minhas issued the order during proceedings on a petition filed by the Federal Government Schools Teachers Association.
The teachers’ body had challenged the allotment of a 21-kanal plot in Sector F-11/2, valued at nearly Rs20 billion, which had originally been designated for a government primary school but was later earmarked for an upscale private institution.
According to the petition, the Federal Directorate of Education (FDE) in 2023 entered into an agreement with a private firm to establish a high-end school on the plot. The move drew strong criticism from teachers, who argued that the land was meant for a government-run facility providing free education to children in line with the constitutional guarantee under Article 25-A.
Teachers’ body questions transfer of 21 kanals worth Rs20bn govt plot to private school
Appearing before the court, petitioner’s counsel Kashif Ali Malik contended that the state is constitutionally obligated to provide free and compulsory education to all school-going children. “The FDE, instead of fulfilling its mandate, is surrendering its land to a private entity which will only serve a privileged class,” he argued.
He added that the CDA rules and the Islamabad Land Disposal Regulations contain clear criteria for the allotment of plots to educational institutions, which in this case had been overlooked.
Justice Minhas noted that the Public-Private Partnership Authority Act elaborates on the procedures for such arrangements and advised the petitioner’s counsel to prepare arguments in the context of this law. The hearing was adjourned until September 26.
The controversy has revived debate over the government’s education priorities and the role of private schools in Islamabad. In recent decades, CDA has allotted land to private schools at nominal rates, yet many of these institutions charge exorbitant fees that place them beyond the reach of ordinary families. In case of the proposed F-11 school, the management has reportedly promised to admit 20 per cent of students free of cost, though critics argue that such assurances are rarely implemented in spirit.
Documents submitted to the court reveal that the FDE’s Planning Directorate had written to the CDA on July 10, 2023, seeking possession of the F-11 plot.
The letter, signed by FDE Planning Director Inam Jahangir and approved by the director general, stated that the Ministry of Education’s Departmental Development Working Party had already approved the project under a pilot initiative for ‘Establishment of Schools at Multiple Locations of ICT on Public-Private Partnership Mode of Investment’. The F-11/2 school was identified as the first in the series.
The teachers opposing the move say that the decision undermines the principle of universal education and risks deepening inequality in access to schooling.
“Public resources are being diverted to serve private interests,” said a representative of the association, outside the courtroom. “This land was meant for free primary education, not for elite institutions that charge tens of thousands in monthly fees.”
The case has attracted attention from education activists who argue that Islamabad already faces a shortage of government schools, particularly in newly-developed sectors.
According to official estimates, thousands of children remain out of school in the capital, despite constitutional guarantees and repeated commitments by successive governments to universalise primary education.
Published in Dawn, September 11th, 2025
