Issue of insufficient seats for admissions in Islamabad model schools echoes in NA

Islamabad

The issue of insufficient number of seats for admission of students in the Model Schools and Colleges echoed in the National Assembly on Tuesday.

Naeema Kishwer Khan, a female parliamentarian belonging to the JUI-F who raised the issue on a calling attention notice said an employee of the National Assembly secretariat approached her with request of admission of her daughter in Class-3 in a Model School.

She questioned whether reports of reforming the education sector were confined to mere claims and slogans. Responding to the calling attention notice, the minister of state for Capital Administration and Development Dr. Tariq Fazal Chaudhry said the load of admissions on educational institutions falling under the Federal Directorate of Education (FDE) has increased following start of the Prime Minister’s Educational Reforms Programme.

He said that along with upgradation of facilities, the evening shift had been started in nine model colleges while an Admission Redressal Cell was also working in the FDE. “We try to accommodate children in nearby institution if his admission is not possible in parents’ desired school,” he said.

Dr. Tariq Fazal informed the House that Area Education Officers (AEOs) have been assigned the task to carry out a survey as to where more educational institutions were required to be established.

Meanwhile, the MQM members in the National Assembly introduced the Right to Free and compulsory (Amendment) Bill, 2017 which provides for ensuring that admissions in each class and shift of educational institutions of Islamabad are granted on merit.

The PTI parliamentarian through an amendment in Section 117, wants that it should be the Parliament and not the Government which is supposed to formulate rules for functioning of the local government.

The amendment bill also seeks maximum participation of Union Councils in the Local Government system by giving them powers of enforce all municipal laws, execute and manage development plans, prevent and remove encroachments, regulate affixing of sign-board and provide and manage many services like water supply, sanitation,  sewage etc.

Through another amendment in Section 82, the PTI member has proposed that the local government should get provisional share from the total tax collected by FBR on services in the Islamabad Capital Territory.