Islamabad’s schools, colleges struggle amid prolonged FDE leadership vacuum

Islamabad:The education ministry's failure to appoint a permanent director general to the Federal Directorate of Education since July 2023 has forced Islamabad's 437 public schools and colleges to fend for themselves.

The prolonged leadership gap at the directorate has resulted in widespread administrative stagnation, impacting both teachers and students across the federal capital, according to teachers. They said currently, a joint secretary at the education ministry oversaw the directorate’s affairs, a stopgap arrangement that was insufficient for effective governance. The teachers expressed concern over the absence of a full-time DG at the FDE, pointing to ad-hoc decision-making and inconsistent policies that have disrupted academic and administrative processes.

A key area of concern is the absence of a transparent, merit-based transfer and posting policy for principals and teachers. Many principals have remained in their positions for up to five years without rotation, leading to administrative inefficiencies and fostering favouritism.

Teachers argued that a fair rotational policy was essential for accountability, professional growth and preventing the formation of entrenched networks that stifled institutional progress. They also reported being assigned to teach out-of-field subjects, a practice, which, according to them, disregards their years of specialisation and academic training.

"It feels like our years of specialisation and dedication to our subjects are being disregarded. This mismanagement not only affects us as professionals but directly impacts the quality of education our students receive," an educator told 'The News'.

Another teacher said the absence of a permanent DG had created a vacuum in leadership at the FDE, leading to arbitrary decisions that undermined professional integrity. He said teachers should be assigned roles based on their qualifications, not as a matter of administrative convenience. For instance, Attique ur Rahman, an Assistant Professor of Economics at Islamabad Model Postgraduate College, H-8, known for teaching Economics to BS and HSSC classes, was recently transferred to Islamabad College for Boys G-6/3 and directed to teach Entrepreneurship to seventh graders, a significant departure from his field of expertise.

Similarly, Tariq Iqbal, an Assistant Professor of Political Science at Islamabad Model College for Boys H-9, was reassigned to ICB G-6/3 and tasked with teaching Ancient History to middle-grade students, despite his background in Political Science.

A senior faculty member said it was deeply discouraging for teachers who have dedicated their careers to mastering their disciplines to be reassigned to unrelated subjects. "This approach not only undermines the professionalism of teachers but also compromises the quality of education provided to students," he said. Teachers argued that the absence of a permanent DG created a leadership vacuum that had allowed such arbitrary decisions to proliferate, weakening the educational system’s overall effectiveness.