Daily Times

Delay of several months in appointment of permanent heads for the Federal Directorate of Education (FDE) and the National Curriculum Council (NCC), has left the both key educational bodies to operate under ad-hoc arrangements, Daily Times has reliably learned.

As per available information, the post of Director General FDE fell vacant since July last year when regular DG Dr Ikram Ali Malik was removed from the post by the ministry of education through a proposed summary to the federal government for the removal of the officer. There are 431 schools and colleges in Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT) while the FDE runs all affairs of these institutions. Technically, the DG works as the head of said educational institutions and is supposed to help the education ministry in the formulation of policies for the betterment of education.

In March this year, the education ministry has floated an advertisement for hiring regular DG of BPS-21 and also received some applications for interested candidates against this post. The sources disclosed this scribe that instead of instead of completing the process, the authorities concerned in the ministry tried to re-appoint a retired Deputy Director General of the FDE against this post. However, the sources added, the Establishment Division after raising several question marks returned the file.

As many as 30 reputed educationists have already been shortlisted for the post of the FDE DG and if the education ministry desires, the process of interviews can be completed in one day.

Likewise, the National Curriculum Council (NCC) is a key federal body responsible for developing and maintaining uniformity in the national curriculum. Its primary functions include to formulate and revise the national curriculum for all subjects in alignment with modern educational standards and national objectives. Moreover, it ensures the inclusion of ethical, cultural, and constitutional values in the curriculum.

Besides this, the council promotes uniformity in educational content across provinces and territories and establishes national standards for education to maintain consistency across the country.

It also works with provincial education departments to harmonize curriculum-related policies under the 18th constitutional amendment.

After the 18th Constitutional Amendment in 2010, which devolved education to the provinces, the NCC’s role diminished temporarily. However, recognizing the need for a unified national curriculum, the federal government reactivated the NCC in 2014 as a collaborative platform to coordinate with provinces and ensure alignment with national education goals. The NCC has since played a critical role in initiatives like the development of the Single National Curriculum (SNC).

Despite all said integral role, the NCC has been running on ad-hoc based charge. A grade 19 officer (Director) is supposed to head the NCC while the post fell vacant in March this year when Dr. Mariam Chughtai, a well-reputed educationist, resigned from the post.

When contacted, Secretary Education Mohyuddin Ahmad Wani stated that he would provide all the details after reviewing the matter. However, he did not respond afterward, despite reminder sent to his WhatsApp number.