NIETE project cost triples amid concerns over training

Islamabad : The National Institute of Excellence in Teacher Education (NIETE), a teacher training project in Islamabad, is under scrutiny following a sharp rise in its cost and widespread criticism of its training programmes.

Approved by the Departmental Development Working Party in March 2023 at a cost of Rs960.761 million, the project has now been revised to a staggering Rs2,552.327 million, a 266 per cent increase.

The revised PC-1 is currently under review by the Central Development Working Party.

According to official figures, Rs515.506 million has already been spent by December 2024, yet training outcomes remain unsatisfactory. The project’s gestation period has also been extended from 24 months (ending June 2025) to 37 months (now set to complete in February 2028).

Until now, Rs515.506 million has already been spent by December 2024, despite the project's ongoing training programmes being widely criticised as ineffective and poorly executed.

An official from the Ministry of Planning, Development and Special Initiatives said education projects often fell short due to scope creep, communication failures and corruption.

"Awarding the teacher training contract to a single bidder compromised the quality and transparency of the project,” he said.

Frontline educators echo these concerns. A woman teacher from a model public college in the capital city criticised the NIETE's digital training strategy, saying it is unsuitable for students in grades 1 to 5 and a waste of public funds.

“The online content is full of errors and doesn't align with the curriculum, leading to confusion among students,” she said.