ISLAMABAD: Although the federal government and the Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT) Administration have put in place some security arrangements to protect school children by employing security guards, but no back-up arrangements for electricity have been made at government schools to cope with the load-shedding issue, Daily Times has learnt. The Federal Directorate of Education (FDE), the governing body which oversees some 422 educational institutions including 20 model colleges in the ICT, has failed to make necessary arrangements to resolve the pestering issue. During a survey conducted by Daily Times, almost all schools and colleges of the ICT were found without generators, UPSs or solar panels to ensure electricity supply. Though some institutions have UPSs but the students were not beneficiaries of it as the supply only remains to Principals’ offices and staff rooms. Raja Zain, a student of the Islamabad Model College for Boys (IMCB) G-11, said that the students have to endure a lot due to load-shedding and none-availability of a substitute power supply. The student revealed that there was only a single UPS at his institute which only caters to the staffers’ room. Sher Andaz Khan, whose son is enrolled in the same college, said that he could not afford to enroll his son in any private school due to limited sources as he was low paid government servant, but he regretted that the prevailing situation in the public sector educational institutions was very poor. “They are not providing even the basic facilities to the students like clean drinking water, toilets and back-up generators which is extremely needed in the hot weather,” Khan said. A faculty member at the Federal College for Girls, Shah Allah Ditta, Tarnol, while wishing anonymity said that around 600 students were enrolled at her college but the college has lacking the facility of toilets, clean drinking water, and other basic facilities what to talk of back-up generators. “The students are compelled to study in the unbearable heat in the classrooms. The FDE and the Capital Administration and Development Division are not bothering to the plight of the students,” she said. The teacher said that newly elected deputy mayor for ICT form Shahallah Ditta, ZeeshanNaqvi was also busy in point scoring and he did not care about upgradation of facilities in schools in his area. She said that Naqvi should pay special heed to the school because his mother Shameem Naqvi served in the school as a teacher. Despite repeated attempts Director General, Director Schools and Colleges of FDE were not available for comments on the issue. However, FDE Director Planning Muhammad Taj admitted that the non-availability of back-up generators was a burning issue. “We and many other officials enjoy air conditioned rooms while the kids are studying in the sweltering heat”, Taj said. He parried a question, when asked whether or not he has submitted a proposal regarding back-up generators.