Daily Times

ISLAMABAD: The Capital Administration and Development Division (CADD) has directed the Federal Directorate of Education (FDE) to establish a particular wing to oversee toll-free helpline at the directorate to entertain the complaints by public regarding educational institutions.

According to a letter, copy of which is available with Daily Times, the ministry issued the directives to the FDE in the wake of obtaining a toll-free number from the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA).

The available information suggests that the CADD had recently requested the PTA and the National Telecommunication Corporation (NTC) to issue an IP to install a toll free number at the directorate under the Prime Minister’s Education Reforms Programme (PMERP) initiatives.

The purpose of installing the helpline is to mend the public complaints regarding educational institutions being functioned under the FDE.

In response, the PTA allocated a toll free number (080076377), according to the copy of approval letter obtained by this scribe. An official of the CADD wishing anonymity said that the allotted number would be activated within a week, adding that the ministry was yet to do some documentation work with the NTC. “After completing the documentary process, the NTC will make functional the toll free number,” he claimed.

After obtaining the IP for the toll-free number from the PTA, the CADD asked the FDE to establish a particular wing in the office to cope with public complaints that would be registered on the toll-free number.

“Establish a complaint cell in FDE headed by a director to deal [with] all complaints/issues, with appropriate actions within [a] fortnight followed by intimation to the complaint,” reads the directive issued by the CADD to the FDE.

FDE is the department supervising 422 educational institutions, including 20 model colleges, functioning across the city and its rural areas.

According to the letter, the initiative was part of the PMERP. The programme was a project of over Rs 4 billion to complete renovation of the public sector educational institutions. According to details, the renovation work on 22 institutions has been completed, while the PC-I for 200 more schools has been approved by Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif.

According to CADD Minister Dr Tariq Fazal Chaudhry, almost 50 percent of the renovation work under the PMERP had been completed.

An official of the ministry maintained that after completion of the renovation work on 22 educational institutions, it found no mechanism of direct public access to the authorities concerned. “Due to this the ministry decided to go for a toll-free number helpline system,” he added.