ISLAMABAD: The Federal Directorate of Education (FDE) has been functioning without permanent director general (DG) since December 2016, Daily Times has learnt.According to available information, the directorate remains ‘headless’ after the retirement of Shahnaz Riaz on December 10, 2016, over completion of her superannuation period.The Capital Administration and Development Division (CADD) in April 2017 had given approval for appointment of Hasnat Qureshi as the FDE DG on temporary charge. Qureshi is also the chairman of the Private Educational Institutions Regulatory Authority (PEIRA). According to sources, a few weeks ago the CADD forwarded a summary for appointment of permanent DG to the Establishment Division for its final approval. The ministry, sources said, had suggested two names Hasnat Qureshi and Aisha Farooq against the post. Aisha Farooq is a grade-20 officer at the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR).However, sources said that the Establishment Division rejected both the names. Subsequently, the CADD minister summoned a meeting of senior officials of ministry a couple of days ago to review the directives of the Establishment Division. According to rules formulated by the Ministry of education in March 1990, the DG shall be appointed by promoting people from within the department. These include serving directors (of BPS-19 grade) or a principal of a degree college (BPS-19) with at least 17 years of teaching or administrative experience. Moreover, SRO-225 states that the DG must have at least 17 years of teaching or administrative service in BS-17 or at least 12 years of service in BS-18 and above or five years in teaching or administrative service in BS-19 in case of direct recruitment.Usually, the FDE appoints a DG on turn basis, alternating between the two categories. After the tenure of Shahnaz Riaz, it was expected that this time a principal of a degree college would be considered. “However, the practice was not followed and the CADD selected Qureshi while giving him dual charge, which is sheer violation of rules,” said a senior official in the ministry who wished not to be named.According to the FDE, currently Tanveer Ahmed, Rao Zulifqar and Asif Naizi are senior most directors, while Dr Rafique Ahmed, Rubina Maqbool and Summar Zafar are senior most principles serving in the different colleges and fulfilling the legal requirement for the post of the DG. A senior official at the FDE said that the directorate was suffering in the absence of a permanent head. He said that provisional chief could not understand and deal with all official affairs properly. The concept of dual charge against senior administrative slots is very common in many departments in the country. This issue also came under discussion at a Senate’s standing committee meeting held earlier this month. Committee member Ramesh Kumar pointed that the culture of dual charge on key administrative positions was badly suffering the institutional performance.He said that currently 14 health departments were being functioned without Published in Daily Times, January 13th 2017.