ISLAMABAD: The federal government is planning to establish an autonomous body to regulate school and college education in Islamabad.
Minister for Planning, Development and Special Initiatives Ahsan Iqbal discussed the proposed autonomous body while chairing a meeting of the Joint Committee on ICT Education Reforms.
The planning minister said the prime minister had already endorsed the concept of an autonomous body. “The prime minister had directed the preparation of an accelerated and actionable reform plan for Islamabad’s education system and endorsed the concept of an autonomous education authority for ICT,” Mr Iqbal said while chairing the meeting.
Mr Iqbal emphasised that the proposed authority should have a Board of Governors with an independent majority and a merit-based selection process for the chief executive officer, with clearly defined functions, powers and terms of reference.
He directed the relevant authorities to prepare the required legislation and a transition roadmap within 60 days, ensuring that the Federal Directorate of Education (FDE) continued its operations without interruption during the transition.
The planning minister also directed that comprehensive proposals for restructuring the education sector be developed to make it a model of reform.
The meeting was attended by MNA Raja Khurram Nawaz, Parliamentary Secretary for Education Wajiha Qamar, the education secretary, members of the Planning Commission’s Social Sector and Governance wings, representatives of relevant departments and senior education experts from the private sector, according to a press release issued by the Ministry of Planning on Friday.
Ahsan Iqbal stressed that the proposed authority should enjoy greater administrative and operational autonomy, with a clear mandate covering all education providers across Islamabad.
He said effective monitoring must be directly linked with corrective action and accountability, observing that despite substantial government investment and higher employee-related expenditure, public-sector schools were not delivering results commensurate with the available resources.
He noted that approximately 77pc of the FDE’s expenditure ceiling was employee-related, highlighting the need to improve institutional performance and ensure value for public money.
Referring to the proposed recruitment of 1,100 teachers through the Federal Public Service Commission (FPSC), Mr Iqbal called for a review of the recruitment process and exploration of a contractual hiring model to attract highly qualified and talented young professionals. He suggested drawing lessons from Punjab’s earlier initiative of recruiting educated teachers on five-year contracts.
He also directed the relevant authorities to examine the legal aspects of the proposed appointments and ensure that recruitment terms provided for local hiring and school-based placements, preventing unnecessary transfers and ensuring teachers remained connected with the communities they served.
Highlighting the importance of teaching quality, the minister observed that Pakistan needed to learn from international education models, particularly China’s emphasis on strong teacher-student engagement. He stressed that reforms must prioritise equity and student welfare alongside improvements in teaching standards, curriculum and learning outcomes.
Regarding school infrastructure, the planning minister directed that safe and functional school buildings and facilities should be the first priority, followed by a costed and verified improvement plan to bring every institution up to model standards, with priority given to rural schools.
He emphasised that infrastructure planning must also address the specific needs of girls’ education.
MNA Raja Khurram Nawaz highlighted the shortage of facilities in government schools, particularly the need for additional blocks for girls. He also stressed the importance of a uniform curriculum across public and private schools to reduce educational disparities and the growing social divide among students.
During a presentation, the Planning Commission briefed the committee that the FDE network currently comprised 432 educational institutions, while a much larger number of private schools, including low-fee private schools, as well as informal and special education institutions, operated in Islamabad.
“Ensuring quality facilities in these institutions is a government responsibility. In pursuance of the prime minister’s directions and the first meeting of the joint committee, three working groups were constituted to focus on infrastructure, governance and academics,” the press release stated.
It said the proposed reform architecture was structured around key themes, including governance and institutional architecture; safe schools, standards and infrastructure; financing and school-level autonomy; teachers and school leadership; curriculum, pedagogy and foundational learning; assessment, data and accountability; and access, equity and student welfare, supported by an implementation and sequencing framework.
The press release said the planning minister called for coordinated efforts by all relevant stakeholders to translate the proposed reforms into a practical, time-bound framework focused on improving the quality, accessibility and accountability of education in Islamabad.
Published in Dawn, November 7th, 2026
