ISLAMABAD, Jan 19: The Monitoring and Evaluation Cell (MEC) of the Ministry of Education is entirely manned by the ex-servicemen, the Senate came to know on Friday. Responding to a written question asked by Senator Muhammad Enver Baig of PPP, Federal Minister for Education Lt Gen (retired) Javed Ashraf Qazi told the house that Brig (retired) Tariq Mahmood had been appointed as Director MEC on two-year contract against a salary of Rs28,960 besides other allowances amounting to Rs22,193 under various headings and facilities such as housing and medical as admissible to the civil servants.

Lt Col (retired) Ateeq Abid Tung and Lt Col (retired) M Shakeel Abbasi, appointed as joint directors on two-year contract, are drawing a salary of Rs25,390 and allowances of Rs17,852 each. Major (retired) Abdul Waheed Khan, Major (retired) Tanveer Ahmad and Major (retired) Jafar Abbas are working as deputy directors on two-year contract and are getting a salary of Rs30,000 each.

Talking to this reporter, Senator Enver Baig criticized the education minister for stuffing one of the most important ministries with blue-eyed boys. “It is beyond my comprehension what role a retired military officer can play in the education ministry which is purely concerned with academic activities and not warfare,” Mr Enver said.

Mr Baig also criticized the appointment of Javed Hassan Aly, an ex-bureaucrat, to review the education policy. Mr Aly had last served as federal secretary environment and he has been appointed in MP-1 against a salary of Rs130,000. The government intends to make certain changes to the education policy earlier launched by the deposed government of Muhammad Nawaz Sharif.

“To me, curriculum review is the most sensitive issue and needs academicians having the relevant experience. I don’t know to what extent a retired civil bureaucrat can contribute in this regard,” he added.

“There is nothing wrong with spending money on such an important sector (education), but not the way the present government is doing as if there is no one to question their malfunctioning,” Mr Baig said.

The PPP leader said that it was strange that most of the people being appointed to the education ministry were either serving or retired military officers or they were somehow or other connected with the military bureaucracy.