FDE irregularities on FIA radar

Islamabad : The alleged financial and administrative irregularities in the affairs of the Federal Directorate of Education (FDE), especially during the tenure of former acting director general Syed Umair Javed, are on the radar screen of the Federal Investigation Agency.

Umair Javed, a deputationist at the federal education ministry was given the additional charge of ‘looking after’ the top Federal Directorate of Education office in April 2019 and he held the position for more than a year until his repatriation to the Competition Commission of Pakistan.

The documents available with ‘The News’ reveal that the Federal Investigation Agency recently registered an inquiry into the allegation of maladministration and misuse of position by Federal Directorate of Education officers, so it sought the posting/transfer orders of former DG Syed Umair Javed along with all relevant records and his personal file, details of the Rs451.055 million expenditure made by the FDE director (admin) and then DG, records of repairs to three FDE vehicles, and details of the vehicles used by Umair Javed.

The law-enforcement agency also asked the regulator for Islamabad’s government schools and colleges to produce documents related to the selection of Asma Munawar as a secondary school teacher (SST) when she was working as a Montessori teacher on the contractual basis, re-designation of lower division clerk Riffat Fatima as a matric trained teacher, and audit reports of the period during which Umair Javed headed the FDE.

The documents show that the Federal Investigation Agency also sought records pertaining to the upgradation of the teachers from BPS-9 to BPS-14, BPS-16 to BPS-17 and 18 in the year 2011.

Initially, the FIA struggled to get access to those records due to the dillydallying of the Federal Directorate of Education. However, the issuance of reminders led the directorate into the sharing of the sought-after information and documents with it.

Federal Directorate of Education Director General Dr Ikram Ali Malik didn't answer calls and texts on his mobile phone.

When contacted, an official of the Federal Directorate of Education said the directorate was ‘fully’ cooperating with the FIA regarding the ongoing inquiry by producing the sought-after records.