The Federal Directorate of Education (FDE) has added 511 new classrooms, along with Information Technology (IT) labs, Google labs, art and math labs, and other reforms to its educational institutions across the Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT).
As per documents available with Daily Times, under a project for renovation and up-gradation of FDE’s institutions across the ICT, Ministry of Federal Education has constructed new class rooms in around 100 schools and colleges by the last week of January. The grey structure and other required work is about complete. There are 432 FDE’s runs schools and colleges in the ICT while up-gradation work of rest all institutions is expected to be completed by the end this year. Besides providing missing facilities, vibrant colors are being painted to make the EIs more attractive.
The said project was launched in 2021 and initially it’s total cost was Rs 6.5 billion, later in revised PC-I, its cost increased to Rs 7.4billion. The project called ‘Provision of Basic Educational Facilities in Educational Institutions of ICT’, had been prepared keeping in view the fact that FDE had mostly retained educational institutions handed over to it by the government of Punjab in 1973 and 1985. Substantial portion of these buildings is in a dilapidated condition requiring rehabilitation.
Urban-I and Urban-II sector institutions got 30 new class rooms under aforementioned project while 62 new class rooms have been added in the EIs of sectors G-10 and G-11. Likewise, 44 class rooms are constructed in sectors H-8 and H-9.
The activity progress with red flag institutions shows that the EIs of sectors I-8, I-9, I-10 given 32, 19 and 14 new class room respectively. Similarly sectors F-10 and F-11 would have the utilization of 28 class rooms which they don’t have previously.
The 8 EIs in sector Sihala are given 35 class rooms while 29 EIs of sector Nilore would have 123 new class rooms under reforms imitative of the ministry. Approximately 14 class rooms are given final touches in 40 schools and colleges of sector Bhara Kahu and 86 are added in sector Tarnol.
Besides construction of new class rooms many other progressive activities were launched in these institutions by the ministry.
As per available information, the project was launched late in last year while the renovation of about 200 institutions was meant in first phase. As per plan, provision of all missing facilities and construction of IT labs, Google labs, arts, mathematical labs will be made part of this mega project.
According to the Federal Secretary Education Mohyuddin Ahmad Wani once this project completes, the Islamabad’s public sector EIs will be role model as special focus is being paid for improve learning environment. “You will see, there will be real change,” he had said at launching ceremony of a newly renovated school for boys in sector F-6. The school equipped with electrical lab, Google lab, library, football ground and boundary wall.
The annual repair and maintenance of the buildings is a recurring feature of the civil work, there are no funds allocated to schools/colleges to maintain their physical infrastructure. It is only the Public Sector Development Programme (PSDP) which meets the infrastructural needs of institutions be it rehabilitation of existing facilities or construction of new structures.
Under the project, solar power system would also be installed in 170 schools to lower the expenditure on electricity. Earlier, under PM reforms package launched by former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, 200 schools and colleges were given a face-lift and now under the said project the remaining 167 will also get a facelift.