Federal Directorate of Education gets regular director general after three-year gap

ISLAMABAD: The Federal Directorate of Education (FDE) has been given a regular director general after a gap of around three years, with Javed Iqbal Mirza assuming charge on Friday under a notification issued by the Ministry of Federal Education and Professional Training.

The notification said that, following the recommendation of the Federal Public Service Commission (FPSC), the prime minister had approved the appointment of Mr Mirza as Director General (BS-21) of the FDE with immediate effect. He took charge of the post on Friday.

The FDE is the regulatory body responsible for overseeing more than 430 schools and colleges in Islamabad. The post of director general had remained vacant since July 2023, when the then DG, Dr Ikram Ali Malik, was removed. The matter surrounding the appointment had remained contentious before Mr Mirza formally took over.

Challenges facing the new chief

Officials in the FDE said the new director general would have to deal with a number of pending issues, including securing funds in the upcoming budget for development work, provision of missing facilities in schools, and construction of new educational institutions.

Officials said there are around 1,300 vacant teaching posts in the directorate. Of these, about 1,000 positions have already been referred to the FPSC for recruitment, while around 250 elementary teacher posts still need to be filled.

They also said new schools are needed, particularly in rural areas of Islamabad, and that there is a broader requirement to improve the standard of education across institutions under the FDE.

An official said the same level of education should be ensured in all schools and colleges and expressed hope that Mr Mirza, who has 15 years of college teaching experience and 10 years of administrative experience, would contribute to improving the education sector in the capital.

"There should be same standards of education in all schools and colleges,"

The official also said that, in addition to focusing on schools and colleges, the new DG would be expected to support the education ministry’s drive to bring out-of-school children into formal or informal education. According to the official, there are around 85,000 out-of-school children in Islamabad, though a large number of students had already been enrolled during the ongoing campaign.

Pending development work

FDE officials said the ongoing project aimed at addressing missing facilities is close to completion, but another project is needed for the remaining schools. They said that proposal is under consideration and that the new director general will have to seek approval from the relevant forum so it can be included in the upcoming budget.

Last year, the education ministry sent the case for appointment of the FDE director general to the FPSC. After conducting tests and interviews, the commission recommended Mr Mirza’s name on March 4 and wrote to the ministry in that regard.