Islamabad: Senior teachers at Islamabad’s several government colleges have claimed that the Federal Directorate of Education (FDE), the regulator for public education in the capital, is ‘manipulating’ faculty postings under the guise of temporary duty to secure new affiliations and retain existing ones for BS programmes.
They told 'The News' that colleges seeking affiliation with Quaid-i-Azam University (QAU) lacked the required regular PhD-qualified faculty but since rules didn’t allow permanent transfers from FG colleges to model colleges, the FDE was transferring them for temporary duty to falsely show that the necessary teachers are available.
Under QAU and Higher Education Commission rules, a college can launch a BS programme only if it has at least one PhD teacher in the relevant subject, along with several MA/MSc, MPhil or MS-qualified faculty members. However, senior teachers insist the FDE is using ‘temporary duty’ postings to artificially meet this requirement.
“By misusing its self-created concept of temporary duty and violating conditions set by QAU and HEC, the FDE is falsely showing that colleges have regular PhD-qualified teachers on their staff. This practice amounts to academic dishonesty,” a senior educator said.
He cited the example of Islamabad College for Boys (ICB) G-6/3, where FDE plans to launch a BS Computer Science programme.
As the college reportedly lacks a PhD teacher in the subject, the directorate transferred Dr Javedullah, a PhD in Computer Science, from Islamabad Model College for Boys (IMCB) H-9, on a “temporary duty” basis.
This is not the first time Dr Javedullah has been moved to meet affiliation requirements. For over two sessions, he was posted on temporary duty at IMCG (PG) G-10/4 to help the college meet QAU and HEC faculty requirements even though he continued to draw salary from IMCB H-9. The same practice is now being repeated at ICB G-6/3.
A teacher at the ICB criticised the move, calling it “a deception to QAU and HEC,” saying the PhD teacher is being used as a rolling stone to mislead authorities and secure affiliations.
"It is unfair to make one person a scapegoat just to fulfil formalities. The misuse of temporary duty has become routine within FDE.
Teachers are stationed for years at certain colleges under this label, violating rules and distorting faculty distribution.”
The manipulation is not limited to Computer Science. To start BS English at Islamabad Model College for Girls (IMCG) I-8/3, FDE recently transferred Dr Faisal Sukhera, Assistant Professor of English, from IMCB F-10/4 on a temporary duty basis, even after closing the BS English programme at his parent college. Similarly, to initiate BS Islamic Studies at IMCG Bhara Kahu, Dr Imran Babar, Assistant Professor of Islamic Studies from ICB G-6/3, was transferred on temporary duty to make the college appear eligible before inspection teams.
Teachers have flayed mid-session transfers for violating the FDE’s own rules, which prohibit staff transfers during the academic session. They argue that such decisions disrupt academic continuity, unsettle students and harm classroom learning.
A senior faculty member described the ongoing practice as “educational corruption,” claiming it undermines the credibility of both the colleges and the regulatory authorities.
“The FDE’s administrative maneuvers mislead QAU and HEC, damaging the integrity of degree programmes. By using temporary duty teachers to secure affiliations, FDE misrepresents faculty strength and academic capacity, raising serious ethical and moral concerns.”
The educator called for strict action against culpable officials, saying their actions are eroding the credibility of higher education institutions in the capital.