Daily Times

ISLAMABAD: The tall claims of providing free of cost education and books in the Federal Capital has been put in the doldrums by the heads of the government sector. Educational institution are collecting thousands of rupees monthly from the students in the name of different activities.

But on the whole, the saga of taking money from the students, the high-ups of the Federal Directorate of Education(FDE) have closed their eyes despite the fact that the federal government has announced to impart free education from level one to the 10th standard. Due to this practice, the poor parents are facing financial hardships.

There are 422 schools and colleges that are functioning under FDE but all these educational institutions are facing an acute shortage of funds and heads of these educational institutions, just to execute the daily demands of administrative nature, take money from the students as they have not enough funds from the government.

Islamabad’s almost 80 per cent of the population comprises government servants and a big majority is getting meagre salaries and their children are studying in these schools and colleges working under FDE.

The several parents have given applications to FDE in this regard but the people at the helm of affairs did not take any action on these applications.

The Daily Times got documents which showed that the Principal of Islamabad Model School for Girls I-8/2 is taking Rs. 10 per month from each student on the name of laboratory and home economics.

In addition to this last moth the school collected Rs. 100 from each student for publishing the school magazine.

Whereas the Principal of F.G .School No.2 , I/10-1 is taking Rs. 500 to Rs. 2000 illegally as registration fee for new admissions. At the beginning ofthe new educational year the students of the school are forced to purchase copies from the school as the copy wich is available in the open market for Rs. 50, the school is selling the same for Rs. 100 to Rs. 150, whereas those students are being threatened of being rusticated who refuse to buy the copies from the school.

On the other hands these schools are receiving million of rupees on the name of fees despite the federal government’s announcement to impart free education to the students of the Federal Capital.

The State Minster for CADD, Dr. Tariq Fazal Chaudhry, who was assigned the task to steamline education and health and in addition to this the daughter of Prime Minister Mariyam Nawaz, to ask for monitoring of the schools located at Islamabad, but both have utterly failed to provide free of cost education to the children. The performance of these two was only limited to photo sessions only.

The Secretary Capital Administration and Development Division (CADD) Hassan Iqbal told the Daily Times that an enquiry committee has been constituted to probe the complaints of taking fees from students in the Capital’s schools. This committee would present a report in three days and those principals who were found guilty in this regard, would have to face action according to rules and regulations.

He said that no school was authorized to get fees or any other fund from the students as the government was providing free education and curriculum books.